In Memorium
by casus17
Summary: During a rescue mission gone wrong, John's plane goes down on a lifeless planet, and Atlantis holds little hope in seeing him again. Only here, little is as it seems, and even John struggles to find the truth as his presence calls to the Wraith. Before 4x
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Stargate Atlantis, or anything else you recognise.

**Author's Note:** Hey! So, if you got an alert from me, and expected a Supernatural story... sorry! This little thing took me under a week to write - which is the shortest amount of time any chaptered fanfic story has taken me. Granted, it was a week I could have used for exam revision, or even for writing the self-reflexive papers due in two days that I haven't started yet, but this would just not leave me alone! It was freaking addictive, like the show (it only took me a week to watch all four seasons - be proud!)

Anyways, as you can tell, this is my first ever Stargate Atlantis fic, and I'm really proud. If you don't know me, you soon will, and you'll soon realize, if you haven't already, that I like to blab on a lot. As in, A LOT.

That being said, here's my latest offering. And for all my Supernatural fanfic fans, I am still writing them, it's just that this one would not go away!

**IN MEMORIUM**

**

* * *

******************

Chapter 1: A Lost Hero

The Wraith Dart hurtled through the outer layers of the small planet's atmosphere, its pointed tip a bright orange as it moved too fast from space. It was already smoking, losing control as it all but dropped out of the sky, the pilot within desperate to keep the alien technology steady.

A sudden explosion rocked the very air, and the pilot within the Dart was suddenly very glad the cock pit was covered by its opaque shield. He didn't really fancy watching the blast come his way as the Hive ship he had just destroyed finally erupted. He was having a hard enough time concentrating as it was.

In the cockpit, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard ignored the sweat dripping down his temple, couldn't afford to wipe it away and lose grip on the shaking controls. The Dart was heating up, going too fast, he knew it. He was a pilot, he knew exactly how too fast he was going. One more time he pulled on the jammed joy stick, pulled as hard as he could.

He really didn't want to crash at this speed.

"Come on!" he cried, pulling with what strength he had left.

His muscles strained – they had already been tired from a bullet wound, a long day and a difficult rescue before he had even gotten in the Dart. His hands, burning with the effort of keeping them closed, threatened to slip from the controls and send him spiralling out of control. But somehow, some way, after countless attempts, the joy stick finally moved, and he pulled back, desperate to slow the Dart down enough so that the bumpy landing wouldn't kill him. His arms shook with the strain as the controls fought him. He could do this.

As the sensors flashed at him, he realized it might be too little, too late.

He pulled back anyway, not about to give up on hope, even granted it was all he had left, and abruptly realized he very much wanted this opaque shell to become transparent, just so he could see how long he had left…

The Dart seemed to scream as it flew into the lower layers of the atmosphere, still going too fast, but slowing down, it was slowing down, and maybe, just maybe, John would get to see his friends again.

The surface drew closer, and the sensors inside the cockpit flashed and beeped, and the pilot tried to ignore them, muscles weakening as he kept a slipping hold on the controls, keeping a desperate hold on hope. He could survive, he could!

A small explosion ripped that hope from him, and he cried out, ignoring the flying sparks from whatever had burst behind him. He kept his grip on the controls, now more from instinct than any belief that he was going to survive, but leaned forward, trying to avoid the singing electricity, or whatever it was that the Wraith used to fly these things.

"If anyone can hear me!" he yelled, hoping he was still transmitting through the radio attached to his ear. "I'm going down!"

Another burst of sparks from behind and he cried out with the burning at his ears, and down his back. The Dart was still screaming with the pressure, and John was sure it was screaming at him. A final victory for the doomed craft and the masters aboard the Hive ship the human had destroyed.

"I can't slow the Dart down!" he cried. "I'm going way too fast, and the surface is way too close! If anyone's getting this… I'm going to crash."

Another explosion behind him and suddenly the dim light of the cockpit was a bit brighter. John craned his neck, hearing it crack as he looked behind him and saw the orange glow.

"Oh God, the Dart's on fire!" he cried, leaning as far away from the back of the cockpit as he could. Fear made him want to scream. "Is anyone getting this? I don't think I have enough control! I am going to crash!"

The sensors that were screaming warnings at him flashed again, faster, quicker, and he knew he was getting close to crashing into the earth. Oh God, he was going to crash!

The realization dawned deep within him, a sickening, crunching darkness that seemed to chill his very bones, and he gaped, hands still tight on the joy stick though he had in fact forgotten about them. All he could see was death.

"If anyone's getting this," he whispered, knowing he was doomed. "Say good bye for me."

He didn't even feel the crash. Didn't feel the jolt that sent him sprawling forwards, head cracking into the alien controls he had been trying to manage. Didn't feel the too sudden stop as Dart met earth and his entire body was whipped from movement.

All he knew next was nothingness.

* * *

In orbit, high above the small planet, the warship Daedalus sat in complete silence, shocked to its very core. They had seen the Hive ship explode, and had wondered what had caused it. Had gotten word from the cloaked puddle jumper, from Major Lorne, who had been with Sheppard. Had been. They had heard Sheppard's final moments, heard the crash, and they knew.

No one could have survived that.

"Is the radio back up?" Colonel Steven Caldwell demanded of no one in particular. There was silence for a moment.

"No, sir. It's not."

The voice was thick, full of signs that the owner was barely holding back shock.

He turned to his right, to the captain sitting there. "Any signs of life on that planet?" he asked, hopeful. The man stared at his screen for a moment than shook his head dejectedly.

"None, sir."

Caldwell didn't even move. He was stunned. But he managed to get his head working again and gave the order.

"We need to get back to Atlantis," he said in a voice void of emotion. "They need medical attention. Take us back."

Slowly the control room began moving again, people pressing buttons and calling commands as if in a daze. Caldwell sat still in his seat, not listening, knowing his people could get them back there without his orders. He just couldn't believe it. Sheppard had survived so much in the past few years, it was hard to actually believe what had seemed the impossible.

But apparently in this galaxy the impossible was proven wrong all the time. It had only taken the death of a good soldier to show them that.

* * *

Okay, should have said earlier - I SWEAR it's not a deathfic!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Matter of Memory**

Colonel Samantha Carter waited anxiously in the Gate room of Atlantis, hands tight on the rungs of the balcony overlooking the Stargate. She had anchored herself there to stop from pacing, and while it was working, she was still stressed. The Daedalus had just appeared in orbit above the planet, and was about to beam her people down. But Caldwell had been hiding something from her. The colonel had only told her to have a medical team on standby, and had cut the conversation short when she had asked about her team, her people. Her friends.

Bright rays of silvery white light appeared before the Stargate, and an instant later a group of nine people were standing in what had been empty space, surrounding three gurneys. Carter wasted little time, all but running from the viewing platform to the stairs.

The medical team were already taking the three gurneys away as she reached the top of the stairs. Carter glanced at them, swallowing at the pale, bruised features of Teyla, Rodney and Ronon. They would be fine; now that they were home, they would be fine.

She looked back at the soldiers approaching her, studying their faces, and not sure of what she found. Her steps slowed, and three-quarters of the way down the stairs, she came to a rocking halt. She counted the marines again, and finally her gaze landed on Major Lorne. The usually steady soldier was shaking, and pale, and close to tears. Even Caldwell looked less than his normal, confident self.

And there was one missing…

"Where's Sheppard?" she demanded, her voice surprisingly calm. She didn't feel calm. She felt like she was about to fall apart.

Lorne looked away, unable to face her. She turned to Caldwell. "Where is Colonel Sheppard?" she asked again, hands becoming fists as she tried to stop from shaking. Caldwell looked hollowly up at her.

"He didn't make it."

* * *

"Oh crap."

John's voice crackled over the radio, and out of the corner of her eye, Carter saw Lorne flinch.

"Daedalus, this is Sheppard, can you hear me?"

There was silence, besides the groaning of the Wraith Dart Sheppard was… had been in. "Daedalus, come in!"

"We tried responding," Caldwell told her with a shake of his head. Everyone in the control room heard him, every single member as still as the crew of the Daedalus had been. "But our outgoing signal was damaged in the fire fight. We couldn't respond in time."

Carter gave him a quick look to keep him quiet, and he nodded, backing away slightly. He had already heard this. Now it was time for those closest to the pilot to hear it for themselves.

"Daedalus, you out there? The controls are jammed. Now would be a great time for that cool beaming thing!" There was a pause. "Dammit!"

The groaning of the Dart filled the radio for a minute, and Carter glanced at Lorne, who was still looking away.

"Goddamn Wraith technology!" John suddenly cursed, and a dull thump sounded out in the background as he slammed a fist somewhere.

A roar consumed the transmission for nearly a minute, drowning out any other noise, and Carter looked at Caldwell, who quickly supplied the answer.

"The Hive ship blew up. We figure it was Sheppard."

Sound returned to the transmission, and they could all hear heavy breathing, as well as another angry grunt. And then…

"Come on!"

The Dart started screaming as it plunged through the atmosphere of the planet, and Carter knew. Okay so she might not quite be a McKay, but she was smart enough, and she wasn't in the Air Force for nothing. He was going way too fast.

Carter leaned forward, clutching the desk, and all around her, her people, the people John had lived with for nearly four years, they glanced at each other for comfort, unable to believe their ears.

A sharp burst regained their attention, and Carter flinched in time with her people, knowing something in the Dart had exploded. They could all hear John crying out as he was singed.

There was a second of heavy breathing, and she could picture him finally realizing it. Could picture the look of horror on his face, the doom.

"If anyone can hear me, I'm going down!" he cried out, grunting again as another explosion shook the Dart. They could still hear the Wraith ship screaming as it dived.

"I can't slow the Dart down! I'm going way too fast, and the surface is way too close! If anyone's getting this… I'm going to crash."

Carter licked her lips, unable to be that close anymore, walking a short distance away. But there was no way to escape the recorded transmission.

There was another explosion, and this time John's voice was panicked. "Oh God, the Dart's on fire! Is anyone getting this? I don't think I have enough control! I am going to crash!"

Someone started sobbing, and Carter couldn't blame them. Hell, she felt like joining them. A few did. But she couldn't. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a dream. A really bad dream.

"If anyone's getting this," John suddenly whispered, defeated. "Say good bye for me."

A sickening crunch roared out of nowhere, and then, silence. Throughout the entire control centre, no one spoke, they barely breathed. And Carter finally realized. Caldwell wasn't lying, and he wasn't deceived. John Sheppard was dead.

Nearly everyone was crying, and had she been aware of anything but the pit in her stomach, Carter would have realized she had tears running down her face as well. She hadn't known John for as long as some of these people, but with the face he put on everything that happened in this galaxy… she had almost believed he was invincible. But the impossible had happened, and the one letter she had never thought she would have to write was now knocking about her head. She should never have let him go on that mission.

"Colonel?" a sudden voice asked from nearby, and she looked up at Caldwell.

"I'm… well, I'm here," she answered vaguely. She didn't think she would be fine ever again. "Major Lorne."

The young man came over, finally looking her in the eye. "Yes, ma'am?"

"What happened out there?" she asked. A few people close by began listening intently. They all wanted to know.

The major looked down for a moment, regaining his composure. "We got on the Hive ship fine in the cloaked jumper. Somehow we managed it. Me and two others stayed with the jumper while Colonel Sheppard took the rest to go get Rodney, Teyla and Ronon. About ten minutes later, sirens sounded, and then the colonel appeared with our people. We got them on the jumper, but Wraith were appearing from everywhere. They could see where our people were disappearing into thin air and began shooting."

He shook his head. "Colonel Sheppard told me to take off. I refused, said I'd wait till we were all on board. He said everyone that was going to get on was on. Then he ordered me to take off, that he was taking another exit. I should have stayed."

Carter shook her head. "Sheppard knew what he was doing." Had he? "And he's your CO. You did what you were told to do." She could tell the major didn't like it though. "What happened next?"

Lorne shrugged. "I don't know ma'am. I was flying for the Daedalus, trying to avoid any Darts. I had just gotten on board when Colonel Sheppard's transmission started. Heard what happened… I should have stayed and waited for him."

"No, major, you shouldn't have," Caldwell interrupted. "If you had, there would be a rescue mission for you right now. And the Wraith would have their hands on Lantean technology."

Carter nodded. "Colonel Caldwell's right, major. Go to the infirmary, get checked out, please. Then get some rest."

Major Lorne nodded and left, looking hopeless and depressed. His features matched everyone else. It certainly matched how she was feeling.

She turned to Caldwell, and motioned at her office. He nodded, and followed her in, closing the door behind him.

"Is there any chance he survived?" she asked immediately. Caldwell sighed, having expected the question.

"You heard the transmission, Colonel. I highly doubt it. And… we scanned the planet. There were no signs of life anywhere on the planet. I would have sent someone down to look anyway, but Teyla was bleeding to death, and McKay barely had a pulse. I wanted to get them back, and I wasn't risking leaving a F-302 and a pilot behind."

Carter shook her head. "No… you're right. You are. I just wish you weren't." She collapsed into her chair. "Oh God. He's actually dead?"

It was so hard to believe. She shook her head, and then got to her feet. "Can you go back now, take a look?" He nodded, and she continued. "I'd better go check on my people. And then I guess I'd better break the news to everyone."

Colonel Caldwell let her go, knowing she needed time to herself. He just wished there was something he could do.

* * *

He had to admit, the darkness was comforting.

He wasn't sure how, but he knew. Knew he was in pain. Knew his head thumped, and his torso ached, and his leg itched, and that wasn't all. They didn't hurt, at least, not while he was in this limitless black, but he knew. Knew that as soon as he woke, it would hurt more than he wanted to hurt.

But there wasn't much he could do about it either. Like a gentle voice, something was insisting he rise – swim through the black to some unseen place that had no chance of being as warm and nice as what he was in now. The unseen place that called to him, pulled him forth and made that thumping, and aching and itching become more than phantoms in the darkness.

Someone gave a moan, and it took him a moment to realize that it was him who had made the noise. Something he identified as voices muttered something, he couldn't make out what, they were too heavy, filtering across his vision, like lights on the surface of the dark lake he was drowning peacefully in. And then a hand grabbed his, and touch returned with startling ferocity.

He groaned, though really he wanted to do more than that. That thumping and aching and itching he had known would hit him had done just as he had expected, and they hurt like hell.

"Easy now," a soft voice murmured, and somehow, it calmed him down. A thumb rubbed his hand, easing his anxiety, and he gave it a squeeze back. "Now, can you open your eyes?"

Personally he thought that was asking a bit much. But that voice was so sure even in questioning, so positive that he could do as she had asked, that it seemed wrong to not even try. So he put his energy into that one small movement and felt his eyelids flutter.

Blurry shapes backed with pale light met his eyes, and he moved his head slightly, trying to clear the fog. Blinking a few times seemed to shift the cloud slightly, and slowly, far too slowly, those shapes gained distinction.

A woman sat over him, and it was her hand holding his. He looked up at her, trying to get his mind moving, and she smiled down at him.

"There, that is better. I did think you would have pretty eyes."

He felt himself immediately blush, and she chuckled, turning to the man standing over her shoulder. "Go get William," she ordered him, and the man all but ran out the door. She looked back down at him.

"How are you feeling?"

She was asking him? Did she want the truth? Because he wasn't sure he was ready for the truth.

"Water?" he pushed out instead, his voice hard and croaky. For good reason, he suspected. Even talking hurt.

She nodded and grabbed a glass from beside the bed he was lying in. For the first time he got a good look of the room of… wherever this was. He didn't think he had been here before.

Then again…

"Here," the woman offered, back with the glass. She placed it gently at his lips, and let him drink. He coughed with the first mouthful, so half of it ended up on his chin, and the woman took the glass back before he could drown himself, but it wasn't enough. Not that he was in a position to negotiate, he figured. He let her do as she wanted.

"How are you feeling?" she asked again, replacing the glass on the table. He looked up at her, and decided not to lie.

"I'll get back to you on that," he told her, and she actually grinned. Liking that – apparently he was funny – he looked around. The room was small, and smelled a little off. But then again, what did he have to compare it to?

It seemed old, but it was warm and comforting. Wooden walls, paintings breaking up the monotony of it. The bed he was in was made from what looked like the same dark wood, and big, taking up most of the space. Under the window, a long set of drawers stood opposite the door. In all, the word cabin came to mind.

He looked back up at her, finally able to see more than a distinct shape in his eyes. She was maybe ten years older than him, greying blond hair, kind blue eyes, and a mischievous smile – too mischievous for a woman of her age, more suited to a child or teenager.

Or so he figured.

"Where am I?" he asked, frowning, and trying not to let the continuous thudding in his head distract him from what he hoped were the right questions.

"You are on a planet called Latira. In my home village. My name is Laura." She paused as the door opened and an elderly man walked in. William, he guessed. The two shared a glance before the man closed the door and walked over.

"And how is our guest?" he asked, pausing three feet away from the bed, hands clasped behind his back.

"Just gaining his bearings," the woman answered, standing at the same time. He stared at the two of them, a little incredulous. Bearings? Ha!

"How did I get here?" he asked, suddenly nervous. He really didn't want to ask what he had to ask. Maybe it would just come up.

William shared a quick look with Laura, and then glanced back at him. "I'm not sure you're ready for that, just yet."

He shook his head. "No, please. I really… really need to know. Please."

The man frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned. The woman sat back down by his side again, and he glanced between the two of them, a little worried. Maybe even scared.

"I don't think so," he finally admitted. "I can't remember anything. I can't even remember my name."

* * *

So, um, see you tomorrow, yeah?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** For those that don't know me, which is probably most of you, I usually post every night, it was just that last night I had to do the anthropology essay I hadn't done because I was hooked on writing this story... so, from now on, there will (probably) be a post every night! Just to let you know... Mainly because I like talking on and on and on...

Onto the next chapter! It's not as actiony, but still pretty angsty...

* * *

**Chapter 3: Invisible**

It was another day before William and Laura let him get out of bed. A day before he got any of those answers that he really, really wanted. Somehow they had managed to avoid all those questions, and after a few hours, he had give up asking, falling asleep once more, hopeful that maybe his dreams would hold the answers. But even those seemed bent against him.

When Laura brought in the boots, he sat up and swung his feet out of bed immediately, and was a little surprised when he didn't get dizzy. In fact, besides the whole amnesia thing, he felt fine. Maybe they had given him some kind of painkiller, because he didn't think he really was fine. He looked down to his chest, where he knew the long, fresh scar was still trying to heal beneath the shirt he was wearing. He was lucky to be alive.

"I have something you will want to see," Laura told him, handing him the boots. He looked at her a little suspiciously, but nodded, and pulled the shoes on before standing up.

"Lead the way."

He followed her out of the door and into the village. It was smallish, maybe another ten homes the same as the one he had been in, of different sizes, but made from the same dark wood. It centred around a small well made from stone, where a young boy was drawing water from. He paused as the two of them went by. In fact, they all paused, watching him with anything ranging from mild curiosity to wide eyes and dropping jaws.

"I guess I'm not from here," he stated, watching everyone's reaction. In front of him, Laura shook her head.

"No, you are not."

She didn't say anything more, just led him to a house near the edge of the settlement. William was already there, with another two young men who smiled as Laura entered.

The older woman turned to him. "William, you already know. These are his sons, Samuel, and Matthew." He didn't say anything when she didn't make introductions the other way. What would she have said? This is the guy who can't remember a thing about himself? "Come, this is what I wanted you to see."

He moved over to where she indicated, the long table in the centre of the room. On it were all kinds of… well, he wasn't sure how to describe them, but for the first time in his memory – which wasn't saying much – he felt like he recognised the pile.

Suddenly a little shaky, he stopped before the pile, reaching out slowly. Would this tell him who he was? Was it all his? He glanced up at Laura, looking for the answer.

She nodded. "This was all you had on you when we brought you to our village."

He looked back down to the pile, pushing the top layer aside to reveal what looked like a vest, but with pockets galore. "Brought me in? How long ago was that?"

"Three days," William answered him. "You were unconscious for two of them."

He touched the sheathed knife on the belt. It did look familiar. He was sure it was his. Then again, his head was a little screwed up. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part.

He picked up the clothes. They were very different to what he was wearing now. "So you found me?" he asked. "Where?"

"We will take you there when you have regained some strength," William answered smoothly. "But it is quite a walk, and you are not up to it yet."

He dropped the shirt for the moment and turned to the four of them. "Can you at least tell me what happened to me? How did I get here? How did I get these injuries? Why can't I remember anything?"

Laura and William shared a look, and the older man sighed. "Fine. But sit first and allow my wife to feed you."

* * *

There was a tap at her door, and Colonel Carter looked up to find Major Lorne waiting patiently at the threshold.

"Come in, major," she told him, standing. "Did you find anything?"

The man shook his head. "Nothing, ma'am. None of the Daedalus' sensors picked up any signs of life. Colonel Caldwell sent out two 302's just to be sure. No signs of settlement. I even went out in a puddle jumper, and the HUD showed nothing."

She sighed, losing that small spark of hope that had been flickering stubbornly since Caldwell had gone back to check it out. She leaned back on her desk.

"What chances are there of finding his… the Dart?" Even now, three days later, she couldn't stand to admit Sheppard was dead. It felt too much like failure on her part.

But Lorne was shaking his head. "We found his dart, ma'am… When I say we found nothing, I mean, literally nothing. The Dart was a big scorch mark on the surface, around a huge hole in the dirt from the impact. And with no one on the planet, there's no chance he got out in time."

Carter nodded as her radio buzzed on. "Colonel Carter?"

She touched on the ear piece and tried to keep her voice calm. "Go ahead, Dr Keller."

"Rodney's waking up. Thought you'd like to be here."

By the time she got down to the infirmary, followed by Lorne, McKay was sitting up, looking a little dazed, but alive. Thank God he was alive.

"Rodney," Sam breathed as she approached his bed. She gave Ronon and Teyla a quick glance: Teyla had woken up the day before, while Ronon had never really been in any danger. Until he had found out about John, anyway. "How are you feeling?"

The normally sharp genius gave a small movement kind of like a shrug. "Um. Fine. I guess. Sore. Confused."

He looked around, as if missing someone. He probably was. The two might not admit it to anyone, but McKay and Sheppard were close. Or had been.

"Well, you're going to be fine," Keller said suddenly, filling in the silence before it became too awkward. "You had us worried for a while there, but a few days rest, and you'll be back to good."

McKay didn't appear to hear her. "Huh. I thought Sheppard would have been here by now. Guess he's busy."

The moment everyone looked away that smart mind started working again, and McKay looked between his friends, scared to ask why none of them would look at him. "What is it?"

"He didn't make it," Ronon snapped, though his voice lacked any emotional support to the quick remark.

"What?" McKay demanded, face paling, eyes widening. "No, that's… How?"

"McKay, I don't think-," Carter began before the scientist cut her off.

"How?" Rodney demanded sharply. Sam could see him gripping the sheet tightly.

"He… crashed into the planet the Hive ship you were on was orbiting," Lorne answered, ignoring Teyla's warning glance. "He didn't make it back to the jumper in time, so he took a Dart. The controls jammed, and he went down."

McKay looked away, openly devastated. Just like they all had been. Then he looked up. "But he's crashed before. Maybe he made it. You've got to check the planet for him, he's probably still alive!"

Carter met his eyes. "We looked, Rodney. There's no signs of life. No signs of civilisation. There's not even anything left of the dart."

The genius was back. Rodney frowned. "Well that's a little weird, isn't it?"

Carter shook her head. "Not at the speed he would have crashed at. There's nothing there, Rodney. We checked."

McKay leaned back, taking a deep breath. "I don't believe it," he admitted, and Sam nodded.

"We have all had a hard time accepting it," Teyla told him, with a glance at Ronon. "But no man is invincible."

Rodney shook his head. "Of course he was," he snapped back, contradicting himself in the one sentence. "This is the guy that got fed on by the only Wraith in the universe that would give his life back. Sheppard has more luck than God."

"Had," Ronon corrected harshly. "Doesn't anymore."

"Ronon," Teyla warned. Carter turned to Rodney before the scientist could bite back.

"We've gone over ever possibility we can think, and none of them ends happy, McKay. We just have to accept the fact that Sheppard is… is gone." She looked at the team, so shattered by their loss. "The Air Force is about to inform his family. We'll hold our own memorial service in a couple of days."

Rodney refused to look at her, and the other two shared a sad glance. Not wanting to deal with it – though she in fact told herself that she would leave them time to grieve – Carter turned on her heels and left.

There had to be come work she could bury herself in.

* * *

William refused to say anything until he had eaten something off the plate the elderly man's wife had brought him to eat. It wasn't long before he realized how hungry he was, and his stomach growled in approval. The food was good, and it was soon gone.

Placing the plate aside, he turned to William. "So, I know I'm not from around here," he half-asked. "Otherwise someone would know who I was."

William shook his head. "No. You are not from Latira. We are not sure where you are from. The clothing you wore when we found you, we have never seen anything like it. Nor your contraptions. We recognised the weapons, the knife, and the gun, though the make is strange. But we have similar things here. The others… well, we were hoping you would be able to explain, but that is obviously not the case."

Obviously. He shifted on his seat, and glanced down to the other end of the table where his things lie. "Sorry, I have no clue." He paused, giving the pile another look. "You said you found me?"

William nodded, but this time one of his sons spoke up, eyes wide with admiration. "We think you are a pilot."

He looked from the son – he thought it was Matthew – to William. "A pilot? Why'd you think that?"

Laura made a noise, but didn't move to interrupt. The older man answered anyway. "You crash landed. Three nights ago, we saw an explosion that lit up the sky, and then what we thought was a meteor plummeting to the earth. We went to take a look, and found a small spaceship, with you, nearly dead inside it."

He absentmindedly touched the scar beneath his shirt. So, he came from space? He wanted to know why he was okay with that. And then why he wanted to know why he wanted to know why he was okay with that. Obviously it could happen, but there was one voice telling him he was crazy, another saying that he experienced crazy everyday. Small clues, too small to be anything but annoying.

"So, you patched me up?" he asked, trying to focus. "I mean, I have you to thank for saving my life?"

William nodded. "Of a sorts. We managed to rescue you from the ship before it exploded. But you were badly injured. You had already lost a lot of blood, from a head wound, and from the wound in your chest. We took you to the Temple of the Ancestors, and one of the priests there managed to heal you."

Well, needless to say, his attention spiked at that. "The Temple of the Ancestors?" he asked, looking around. "What's that?"

"It is a repository, I suppose," Laura answered, speaking up for the first time. "The last place any of our people had contact with the Ancestors. It holds many of the machines they left behind."

He nodded slowly, not sure he really understood. "And who are these Ancestors?" he asked, looking from Laura to William, who answered him.

"They are the beings who came before us, who taught us before they became more. They protected us then, and their last gifts protect us still."

His curiosity was well and truly caught. "What gifts?" he asked softly. "And what do they protect you from?"

"There is a device, in the Temple, which shadows the land. It hides us from the Enemy. If their great spaceships sweep over the land, they cannot detect us. From space, no one can detect us."

* * *

Well, at least now we know why they all think he's dead...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: So Close**

_He knew it was a dream. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. Maybe it was the surreal quality of the place. Maybe it was the almost alive feel to the tendrils that seemed to make up the walls around him. Maybe it was the immense sense of déjà vu. It might even have been the way he moved confidently, even when he had no clue where he was going._

_But it was definitely a dream. _

_Or maybe nightmare was a better word. It could even have been a memory. It wasn't like he would know._

_But he wore the clothes that he had been found in, and he carried a square gun, and his finger rested easily on the trigger, ready to fire at a moments warning._

_Suddenly his left fist went up. People he couldn't see, people behind him, they paused, squatting when he did, and leaning close to the wall._

_Then he heard the footsteps, though he was sure his dream-self had heard them long before. And they were coming this way._

_His dream-self looked behind him, and as much as the dreamer tried, those faces, though he looked at them for a few seconds, remained blurs._

_The footsteps died away, and he stood once more, motioning to the left, and then to the right. Moving off, he turned right, and half of the men behind him followed._

_A sharp screech and the sound of one of his men going down was all the warning he had._

_While the dreamer jumped, twitching in the bed he was sleeping, the dream-self turned, finger clamping down on that trigger. In reality, the dreamer cried out, watching the weapon fire, and create noise, and he knew he should be terrified, because how could anything good make that much noise. But he got the sense of familiarity, and for some reason that scared him more than anything._

_But his dream-self fired, and the beasts attacking them fell back, shooting over their shoulders with the strange guns in their hands. But not before he got a good look at their faces…_

He woke with a start, panting and sweating, the adrenaline still coursing through him. Eyes wide, he tried to gather his senses, tried to remember where he was, that he wasn't in that strange place with those… things.

Suddenly needing fresh air, he threw back the covers and stumbled to the door, welcoming the cool night air as he crossed the threshold. The village was silent, though the surrounding area was filled with the soft sounds of nocturnal animals. All of which he could name, if he tried.

And that was what annoyed him. Since waking two days ago, he had realized that while he knew everything about life in general – the sky was blue, the planet was round, and that bird making those noises had to be some kind of owl – he knew absolutely _nothing_ about himself. Besides the fact that he apparently came from another planet and had crash landed on Latira five days ago in some kind of ship.

Sighing, he moved to the railing of the porch, leaning against the wooden support, and watching the village that had taken him in and saved his life. No one was up, and for good reason. Judging by the fact that both moons were out, it was very early in the morning, and dawn was no doubt still several hours off. He looked up at those moons, at the millions of stars that surrounded them, and wondered, not for the first time, which one was closest to his home.

He was sure he wouldn't know even if he did have a clue where 'home' was, but the ache wouldn't leave. The knowledge that he didn't truly belong here, that he possibly had family, and friends out _there_ somewhere… well, that hurt more than his healing scar.

Then again, maybe he didn't have family and friends out there. Obviously he had been in some kind of battle, and had lost that battle – otherwise he wouldn't be here. What if his amnesia wasn't a result of the head wound, as Laura claimed, but the simple fact that he didn't want to remember that loss? What if that ache was grief?

Sighing, he looked away from the stars, out across the village. He wanted to know so badly. Wanted to know something, anything. Hell, it had been two days and somehow no one had come across the need to call him by a name. These people were nothing if not cautious when it came to any sensitivity he might have.

He chuckled at that, wondering what they would name him when they had the need to. Maybe he could just name himself now. Just pick a random name from nowhere…

Or maybe he could try looking through his things again.

Laura had brought them over after his talk with William, about how they had found him. But he hadn't been able to look through them. Again, it hurt too much. It was too frustrating, made him angry, and annoyed. Made him want to scream because he couldn't remember something as simple as his own name.

His things were laid out carefully on the chest of drawers, his clothes folded neatly, the strange vest on top. He shut the door and lit the lamp, before taking it from its hook and carrying it over. Sitting it on the drawers, he took a deep breath, and moved the vest to the bed. Hopefully the clothes would be easiest.

There was nothing on the pants except blood and char – his blood, and he cringed, remembering that itch in his leg when he had first woken. He had managed to drag out of Laura the extent of his injuries, after some hard convincing, and though the priest who had healed him had taken away even the scars there, he knew his leg had been badly burned. He threw the pants on the bed, picking up the shirt.

It too was covered in blood, mostly on the left, where the scar now ran from the top of his shoulder to just above his stomach. The priest hadn't been able to heal everything.

There were no distinguishing marks that he could see straight off, but parts of the shirt were burned as well. God, he must have been a mess. He was lucky, that was for sure.

The shirt turned out to be as useless as the pants, and growling in frustration, he threw it aside as well, losing his patience quickly. This was no good. These people would have gone over it themselves, and if they had found anything that could help identify him, they would have told him. This was useless.

He slumped down onto the bed, feeling tired and drained. Was he ever going to get his memory back?

* * *

"How did you sleep?" Laura asked him when he let her in the next morning. He gave a non-committal shrug, but she found her answer when she saw the blood-stained clothes on the floor. She didn't say anything, for which she was grateful. Instead, she looked up at him.

"Would you like to take a walk?"

He found being away from the village helped. He had already guessed that he didn't like sitting still for too long. That bed rest and patience weren't exactly his thing. But something about the fresh air outside the confines of his… new home, it just helped to ease the tension in his shoulders that he hadn't realized was there.

"So where are we going?" he asked the older woman, looking down at her. Behind them, Samuel and Matthew were talking quietly.

She smiled uneasily up at him. "To what is left of your ship. I think it might help."

He nodded slowly, but didn't really know what to say. Did he really want to see how close to death he had come?

Laura seemed to notice his uneasiness. "We do not have to, if you do not want to," she told him gently. He shook his head.

"No. I do want to see it. I think it's just going to be hard." He paused for a moment, then swallowed. "I'd like to meet the priest that healed me," he told her hopefully. "I want to thank him for saving my life."

She smiled. "I thought you would. We can go there next, if you are up to it."

"I'd like that," he told her, before pausing. "How far away is the crash site?"

She grinned at him, that childish levity coming back to her eyes. "Are you feeling tired already? I would have thought a young lad like yourself could run rings around an old lady like me."

He grinned back at her. "I was only thinking of you," he told her, half lying. "But if you're sure…"

She mock-glared at him, and for a while they walked in comfortable silence. Behind them, the two brothers continued to talk, but only snatches of the conversation made its way to the two in front.

"Have you remembered anything?" Laura asked after about ten minutes. He shook his head.

"Nothing. At least, I think nothing…" He paused, before sighing. "I had this dream last night. I think it was just a dream, anyway."

"Why do you think that?"

He shrugged. "Okay, maybe I hope it was a dream. It was dark, and filled with… monsters."

"Monsters?" she asked, frowning up at him.

He nodded. "That's the only thing I can call them. I saw one up close, and its face was clear, even when everything else was a blur, and surreal."

"And what did it look like?" she asked him next, pulling her skirts up slightly as they crossed a small stream.

"It was almost human," he admitted. "But it had greenish skin, and dark markings around one eye. A flat nose, that was too sharp. And its eyes. They were golden, with slits, like a cat's eye…"

He trailed off, trying to shove the memory from his mind. It wasn't easy. One of the few memories he had, and he was trying to get rid of it. He sighed, shaking his head, and looking down at Laura.

"It was frighte… Laura, what's the matter?"

She shook her head, face pale. "I know of what you describe. I have heard tales of them. We know them as the Enemy. They are foul creatures. A plague on the galaxy, moving from planet to planet in search of the only thing they eat. Us."

He shivered. "They eat humans?"

"Feed on them. Draw the years from their lives, until nothing but a withered corpse remains." She slowed down, waiting for the brothers to catch up. "But we have not had to deal with them for many generations. Like William told you, the Ancestor's device keeps us hidden from them." Suddenly she smiled up at him. "Perhaps we have need to be thanking you," she told him. "You may well have fought them, if you dreamt about it."

"It was only a dream," he told her. He doubted he had fought them. They scared him too much.

She shrugged. "Perhaps. But the dream, and the Enemy in it, had to come from somewhere." She looked up at the sky, at the sun beating down. "But now is not the time for this. We are there."

He broke his gaze away from her, and looked around. It wasn't hard to find the spot where he had crashed.

Little remained, a few scattered pieces of a destroyed ship, and a large black scorch mark where it had exploded. From here, he couldn't see the bottom of the cavity the ship had created. He shivered, fully realizing for the first time just how close to dying he had come. Maybe amnesia was okay. At least he wasn't dead.

He walked on, leaving Laura with the two men, as if they sensed he needed some time alone to sort this out. A few steps and he was standing where darkened char met the light brown soil of Latira, looking at his near-demise.

Taking a deep breath, he descended into the hole, and his boots crunched on the ruined surface. And then he looked up.

_Whistling air, or maybe the ship around him was screaming – he strained, feeling the pressure as the Dart dived – he could almost imagine the very air parting before the heating pointed tip of the plane – speed, heat, fire – sparks, licking the back of his head as he felt dread clench his stomach –_

He stumbled back to reality, though he hadn't in fact moved. He tried not to show anything, and turned away from Laura, Sam and Matt so they couldn't see his face. Then he turned back to them shaking his head as he looked up.

"It's a miracle I survived," he told them, sweeping his arms around to encompass all that was left of the ship. He looked back up at the sky. "I mean, I fell all the way from up there, and I'm alive to tell the tale." If he could only remember it. He shook his head again, then swallowed, trying not to throw up. "Why the hell can't I remember it?"

He didn't see Laura give the boys a worried look. Didn't notice her grow pensive, as if she suddenly realized he hadn't been ready for this. He did notice her take a step forward.

"Come. We will take you to the Temple." At her words, he turned, looking away from where he had come from. "The priests are powerful," she continued. "Perhaps they will know something."

* * *

When Carter hadn't been able to find McKay in the infirmary, she had thought to look in a lot of different places. His lab, the mess hall, even her office. To be honest, Sheppard's private quarters hadn't been high on her list of rooms to search.

But find the scientist there she did, and only then by chance, as she was walking by on her way to what would have been another fruitless search. She walked by the open doors, and had seen him sitting on the colonel's bed.

She changed direction immediately, and he looked up, still with that lost blankness to his eyes, that forlorn shadow over his face that he got when he thought the world was doomed, as she leaned against the doorway.

"I didn't think I'd find you here," she admitted softly. McKay shrugged, but didn't answer. Carter tried to think of something else to say. "So Keller released you?"

McKay nodded. "Yeah. Said I was fine. In perfect health. Well, perfect health for me."

The scientist sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't feel fine, Sam," he told her slowly. Which surprised her. Despite the amount and speed McKay usually spoke at, he wasn't exactly one for letting everyone know exactly how he was feeling. Carter knew he pretended fear, and doomsday certainties, but she knew him better than that.

Moving gently, she sat down beside him and took his hand. "I'm not surprised," she said to him. "It's been a… bad couple of days."

He shook his head, ripping his hand from hers. "Don't," he told her, standing up and moving away. "Don't even pretend like you know."

"Hey," she told him sternly. "I know, okay. I've lost my fair share of friends, Rodney."

"Yeah, but I bet their deaths were never your fault," he spat, leaning back against the wall. "It was my fault we got captured in the first place. He wouldn't have even been on that Hive ship if it weren't for me."

She frowned at him. "McKay, you know that's not true. Colonel Sheppard told me what happened on that planet. There was nothing you could have done to avoid those Wraith."

She needed to get him off this subject, and quickly. McKay was nothing if not stubborn.

"We're having a memorial service this afternoon," she told him softly. Maybe it wasn't the greatest topic to choose, but Rodney's head shot up, and he shut up about blame. "You probably knew him better than anyone," she admitted, standing up. "I was wondering if you wanted to speak."

The scientist's jaw worked for a moment, and for the first time in his life, Rodney McKay was speechless.

"A memorial service?" he asked. "So soon? I mean…"

"It's been five days, Rodney," Carter explained gently. "If he had somehow miraculously made it out of the Dart before it exploded, he would have contacted us by now. We would have heard something. We just have to accept it. I'm sorry."

McKay nodded, sighing, and dropping his head. "I know, I do. It's just… stupid."

* * *

So, the real action starts next chapter. Well, not action, perse, but the good stuff. Well, I think it's good. You'll just have to let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** So I'm kind of nervous now that I've told everyone the good stuff is coming. Hope this lives up to everyone's expectations!

* * *

Chapter 5: Waking

It was another hour to the Temple of the Ancestors, and halfway there, he wasn't sure he was going to make it. Whatever the priest had done to heal him, the injuries had still been there, and now his body was reminding him. And it didn't help that apparently the Temple was a quarter of the way up a mountain.

When the Temple came into view, he almost didn't notice it. The scar on his chest was burning from the steady climb, and he was limping slightly from the fading sense-memory of the burns on his leg.

But it would have been hard to miss the Temple.

The way seemed to open out, and ahead, on the other side of a strange, perfectly round, and naturally formed platform was a grand entrance leading deep into the mountain.

He couldn't help it. Standing up straight, he gaped, breath catching at the site. Made of white stone, so smooth he could have sworn it was built from the very material the mountain was made out of if it hadn't been a different colour, it rose thirty feet into the air. The actual entrance was arched, blocked by heavy looking grey gates bearing silver signs. Signs he couldn't read, but he got a sense of warning from them nonetheless.

The plateau before the entrance was completely out in the open, but Samuel and Matthew had no qualms in walking on, while Laura simply paused beside him as he admired the great monument.

"Impressive, is it not," she said softly, reverently. He nodded.

"Just a little," he admitted. "I don't think I expected it to be so… big."

She smiled gently, and gestured with her hand. "Shall we?" she offered, and he nodded. Leading the way, Laura added, "The priests will be expecting us."

"Who are these priests?" he asked, eyes darting around as they stepped out into the open.

"Boys, chosen at a young age because they hold the ability to commune with the Ancestors," she smiled as if at a memory. "It is a great honour to be chosen. They spend their teenage lives in meditation, and learning. The priests who come before teach them to let the spirit of the Ancestors run through them. That is how they gain gifts, such as the ability to heal, once they are open to the wisdom of those who came before us."

He nodded, not really understanding, and feeling strangely sceptical. But he kept his opinion to himself: he wasn't about to insult the people who had saved his life.

Besides, they were walking under the entrance now, and a strange nervousness filled him. As he walked through the door Matthew was holding open – just a tiny opening in the huge gateway – he fell silent, as if even breathing too heavily would disturb the peace.

The gateway opened into a large tunnel, arched like the doorway, walls smooth and covered in writing embedded into the very dirt that surrounded them. It too, looked natural, as if someone had pounded on the walls and floor to give them that hard, shiny, almost metallic quality. Brackets, the torches burning furiously in them, lit the way, shadows flickering over the wall, and giving the entire entrance an otherworldly, oddly ominous feel.

Laura joined him a moment later, and he went to walk forward again, before she grabbed his shirt. "Wait," she told him patiently. "They must come to us before we go in."

"Why?" he asked before he could stop himself. She gave him a hard stare.

"It is rude to disturb the Temple of the Ancestors without asking their permission. Like entering another's home when they are not there."

Well, he couldn't argue with that logic. Mainly because he couldn't remember owning his own house, but he also figured he would actually be pretty annoyed if someone went stomping about his room without asking him first. So he waited.

It didn't take long, though the minutes seemed to stretch. But it had been barely five when they heard the swing of a door at the other end of the cavern, and three figures walked their way.

Subconsciously he stood up straighter, heart beating anxiously for no apparent reason. The two other men stood back, allowing Laura and him to wait for the priests. And it seemed to be a long wait. Obviously these men were in no hurry.

But they finally got close enough, and Laura dipped in a slight curtsey, showing her respect. He nodded his head, but something annoyed him about showing deference to someone he didn't know.

The three priests nodded back, a peaceful smile lighting their faces. They wore white robes, but despite the dirt all around them, the white was perfectly clean. Which should have been impossible, but if these people could heal – and he was (thankfully) living proof they could – he supposed staying clean probably wasn't a problem.

Otherwise, they seemed incredibly normal, though far more serene than even Laura appeared. At ease with everything in the world. Wouldn't that be a nice feeling.

"Welcome," the leader greeted, spreading his hands, and smiling deeper at Laura. It sparked a surge of familiarity in him, and for a moment he got excited. "Sister, it is well to see you once more."

She smiled back, and then the priest turned to him, and once again his smile changed, becoming more mischievous, a twinkle in his eye, and his heart sank. That's why he seemed familiar. Laura really was his sister.

"Master pilot, it is good to see you so far from Death's door."

He smiled back, trying not to let his gloom irritate him. "I believe I have one of you to thank for that." So obviously they didn't know who he was either. Which was a huge bummer.

The priest nodded solemnly. "I was the one who healed you. I just wish I was strong enough to leave you without scars. Perhaps instead you will join us for a meal?"

Laura nodded. "Thank you, Leo. That would be wonderful."

The siblings walked off together, and after a moment, he followed, walking beside a quietly chatting Samuel and Matthew. One of the priests fell in beside him.

"So you are feeling well?" the man asked, and he was a little surprised to realize the man was little more than a boy.

He shrugged. "As well as can be expected after falling from outer space." He nodded. "I was lucky to have crash landed on a planet where someone could help me."

The priest nodded. "I suppose you were, if you believe in such things as luck. Maybe the Ancestors sent you here for some purpose."

He frowned. "Whatever it was, they shouldn't have sent me," he told the man dryly. The priest frowned up at him, confused.

"Why not?"

They were nearly at the end of cavern now. He shrugged. "Well, mainly because I don't remember a thing about my life before I woke up a few days ago on this planet."

That made the priest's eyebrows rise. "Nothing? Name, family, home? You remember none of it?"

He shook his head as Laura and her brother Leo disappeared through a much smaller door – smaller being only about ten feet high instead of thirty. "I remember none of it," he confirmed. And he stepped through the door himself, the priest standing aside to let him enter first.

It happened as soon as he put his foot down on the other side. His boot had barely touched the surface when the Temple began shaking. Grabbing a quick hold of the doorway, he managed to keep his balance, looking around with worry at the quivering mountain complex.

The room the priests had been leading them to trembled terribly, but strangely no dirt was falling, even as the various tables and other furniture pounded into the walls. The torches wobbled in their brackets, and within a moment of him trying to identify the problem, two of them had gone out.

And then he realized that no dirt was falling because the room wasn't made out of dirt. It was made out of the same white stone as the grand gateway on the side of the mountain, except this time, it was even smoother. So smooth it looked like metal.

A sudden violent shake sent him tumbling into the room, and he barely managed to keep his footing as he stumbled into Laura, who was trying to keep her own balance in the shaking room.

And then a light came on, high above them. Startled, they all looked up, just in time to see another, and then another, forcing back the wavering shadows of the torches. Because these lights were nothing like the torches. They were strong, and bright, and so very unnatural.

Lights began flicking on all around the room, and he watched their progress with an anxious worry. Most of them were the bright, strange white light like those above. Others appeared on the wall, and they were a light blue, so light they were almost invisible to the eye.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the shaking stopped. Breathing heavily, he stood up straight, letting go of Laura, and looking around. The priests too, looked around, mouths wide open as if seeing the room for the first time.

"What the hell was that?" he asked breathlessly, trying to get his heart rate under control. He looked to the priest who had been walking with him, and then to Leo, who shook his head.

"I do not know," the man admitted, nerves apparent in his voice. "That has never happened before." He looked around, up at the lights, and then back to him, a slightly accusatory glare in his eyes. "What did you do?"

"Me?" he demanded. "I didn't do a thing! You're the one that lives here, I only just stepped inside."

"Exactly," Leo answered grimly. "All of us have been here before, and that is the first time that has happened. It is your first time here. That cannot be a coincidence."

His mouth worked wordlessly. Luckily for him, the priest who had been walking with him spoke up instead, awe in his voice.

"Perhaps he is one of the Ancestors," the kid suggested.

Had he said luckily? He gaped at the kid, wondering how in the hell he had come to that conclusion. The priest shrugged defensively. "Why is it not possible? He does not remember anything, so he would not know. He was flying a space ship, and we know the Ancestors flew them. And this Temple was built by the Ancestors." A wondrous smile spread across his face. "And it awoke when he stepped inside. As if the Temple were greeting him."

"That's just crazy," he defended. "I'm not one of your Ancestors. I'm just some guy."

"How do you know if you do not remember?" the priest asked. And to that, he had no answer. The kid was convinced, and nothing he said would change that opinion. Even if it was a load of crap.

"Perhaps," Leo finally said slowly, a suspicious look on his face as he stared at the stranger. "There are ways to find out. We have other Ancestor technology. Technology we have not been able to work. Try it."

Well if he had ever had a clearer order… well, technically he wouldn't remember anyway, but he was sure he hadn't. He shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. Show me the way, and it'll prove I'm not one of your Ancestors."

Leo nodded, and gestured towards a door. It opened as the priest approached, and, sharing a look with Laura, he followed. The rest were barely a heartbeat behind.

The door led to a passage, lit, like the room, by the strange panels of light, though the torches too, burned bright. Obviously these things had woken when he had stepped inside the Temple as well. Which was weird, to say the least. It had to be a coincidence.

The corridor was narrow, too narrow for two men to walk abreast, and he followed Leo, looking into rooms as they passed them. They were mainly living quarters, it seemed, far more sparse than the room they had just left, and obviously belonging to the priests.

There were other rooms too. They passed a kitchen, where a cook looked in wonder around his suddenly bright domain. A few storage rooms, which held bags of what he guessed were grains, food to stave off a coming winter.

They passed another door, and it caught his attention. It was different to the rest. For starters it was closed, and there were signs, like the runes on the gateway entrance. He didn't know what they said, but it looked… familiar.

He stopped, attention caught, and took another three steps back to stand before the doorway. A moment later, Leo joined him.

"Has something caught your eye?" the priest asked softly, and suddenly he could tell the man was beginning to be swayed to the kid's point of view.

"What's in here?" he asked, his gaze never leaving the runes around the edge of the door.

Leo shifted slightly. "We do not know. We have never been in there. The door will not open."

Licking his lips, he suddenly waved his hand in front of the three blue lights on the panel beside the door. There was a whoosh, and the door opened.

Everyone shifted, and he could have sworn. Were these people blind? "Well, it opens now." There was no way he was some Ancestor.

Ignoring that for now, he walked inside, and the lights came on, though this time without the shaking and trembling. He found himself in a huge room, the same height as the cavern leading here, but square.

And opposite the door, was a large ring of stone.

Déjà vu hit him hard, and he swallowed, knowing instinctively that he had seen something like this before.

"It is the Portal of the Ancestors," Leo whispered from somewhere behind him, and he shook his head, knowing he knew a different name… "We have been searching for this for so long, and -."

"No," he cut in suddenly. "Not Portal. Stargate. My people call it a Stargate."

"You remember?" Laura asked, surprised. He nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know how. I don't know what it does. I just know I call it a Stargate."

Leo came to stand beside him. "We know what it does. It was what the Ancestors used to travel here, from their home planet."

He gave the man a frown. "They used that to get here? From their home planet?" How?

Maybe it had something to do with the odd device standing twenty feet in front of it. Unable to help himself, he walked towards it, drawn by something. A memory, perhaps? Some kind of familiarity? He wasn't sure, but it was strong.

He came to a halt before it, and frowned down upon the device. The console was round, almost hemispherical. In the middle was a large blue dome, surrounded by rings of more signs. Not like the runes on the door, but different. He ran his fingers over them, recognising some, but having no clue where they came from, or what they meant. He just recognised them.

Which was more than he could say for the tripod standing over the blue dome, and the softly glowing triangular crystal it held, its tip just touching the blue dome. That, he had no clue about.

"Rodney, dial the damn gate," he muttered softly, remembering the words from somewhere. Again, he had no clue where from… he just remembered them. Which was frightening.

Swallowing, he concentrated on the crystal. It had some kind of pad on top, just about his chest height, and, still moving on auto-pilot, he couldn't help but reach out and touch it.

The pad switched on, and he jumped, taking a step back, snatching his hand away. But whatever he had done, it was too late to reverse. The crystal glowed stronger, most of it emanating from just below the pad. Hoping he hadn't just killed them all, he backed away until he ran into the Latirans still waiting by the door.

"What did you do this time?" Leo asked hoarsely, and he shook his head.

"I don't know."

The glow brightened even more, until it was too bright to look at. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he found he couldn't tear his gaze away, even as it began to hurt. The glow just became brighter and brighter, until it had blotted out even the device, until it looked like a ring of light surrounded by the Stargate.

And then, as quick as a flash, it… emptied out. Moving from top to tip in less than a second, it hit the blue dome, not breaking or cracking it, but filling it. As quickly as it had happened, the glow was gone. But the blue dome was on.

The Stargate began making noises. The ring blinked, lights sliding along the egde, illuminating the same runes as were on the console over and over again. He found himself waiting for it to stop, but it didn't, just kept on making noises and flashing, until it had to have gone around two or three times.

It finally came to a halt, but the group kept on holding its collective breath, sure it wasn't over.

And then a wall of water seemed to spurt out, as bright as the glowing crystal had been. It lasted all of three seconds, before the Stargate seemed to suck it back in, and the room was dark once more.

Swallowing, and then exhaling heavily, he stood up straight, getting his eyes to adjust back to what seemed like the dim lights from the roof. Then he turned around and faced the priests, who were staring at him with something far too close to reverence for his liking.

"What have you done?" the kid asked breathlessly. He shrugged.

"I uh, think I turned it on."

* * *

Damn that Ancient gene...

Yes, artistic interpretation was required.

And if anyone's interested, I imagined the priests as beings close to Ascension, but not actually Ancients, and unaware that that is what their meditation is taking them towards... Just in case you're interested.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** So I'm still kind of loopy from donating blood a couple of hours ago - you're lucky to be getting a chapter tonight. But I'm going home for the weekend, and I doubt I'll be able to post, and I didn't want to leave you all with three days without a chapter. So, here you go, and I'll be back on Monday.

* * *

Chapter 6: Memorial Service

McKay stepped forward at Carter's nod, moving to stand in front of the blue well of the event horizon. And from there, he looked out across the Gate room, to the people crowding the platform, and the people standing solemnly on the stairs and the balcony hiding the control room, waiting for him to say something profound, something that could ease their grief, or let them wallow in it. They wanted him to give them an excuse to let the tears fall. These men and women, soldiers, scientists, doctors of every kind, all of whom had gone through more in the past four years than most people suffered in a lifetime. These people who had lost more friends than anyone should.

"When Colonel Carter asked me to… tell you about Colonel Sheppard…" He paused, shaking his head. "I'm sorry to admit that I found it difficult to come up with the right words. Me? Unable to find something to say."

He gave a sad chuckle, and a few smiled with him, their eyes bright. "I believed myself to be a friend of John's," he told them all. "Colonel Carter told me I knew him better than anyone else here. But I found myself realizing just how little I knew about the man."

He looked down, trying to get his emotions under control. "I knew some things. He was smarter than he liked to let people know. He was stupidly brave. He could stare the blatantly obvious in the face and just not see it. He didn't speak much about his family, but spoke his mind about everything else."

He paused again, swallowing, and looking over to where Teyla and Ronon stood with Carter. They had helped him piece this together, for which he was grateful. He didn't think he would have been able to do it otherwise.

Teyla gave him a nod of encouragement, and McKay looked back out across the room. "He had a wicked sense of humour. He was scared of clowns, but could fight a Wraith with the best of them. He was determined, and refused to ever show fear. He was kind, and resourceful, and respected by every man and woman under his command. And he was prepared to sacrifice himself for every single member of this expedition."

Tears were coming now, and as Rodney watched, he felt the wetness sliding silently down his own cheeks. "John Sheppard was fiercely loyal. I know he stood by me, even when my arrogance threatened to destroy us along with a solar system. He was prepared to go to any lengths to ensure people survived. No, more than survived. He was prepared to die so that people could live."

He looked away again, moving to wipe away the tears, before pausing and looking at everyone else as they shared his grief. "We have lost a great man. A fierce warrior. An amazing friend. And I am not afraid to regret that. I am not afraid to grieve for him, nor to wish he were still here among us. Though if he was, he would humiliate me for the rest of my life about this little speech."

There was a scattering of laughter, and he smiled with them. "I see tears, and I see sadness, and I feel them too. And I am not ashamed. John Sheppard deserves those tears, and that sadness. It is the least we owe him."

A solemn silence followed his word, as people let go of their grief. They did it quietly, the tears sliding down their cheeks, and Rodney nodded, acknowledging it. He opened his mouth to speak again when a strange noise came from behind.

Gaping and spinning, Rodney turned, beyond stunned at seeing the Stargate's lights moving. Which should have been impossible when it already had an established wormhole. To an uninhabited planet, no less.

He moved away, just in case it got any ideas and shot out like it did when it had connected a wormhole. But it didn't. The event horizon shimmered, ripples echoing from the centre as the lights around the edge continued to flash.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, and the entire Stargate shut down. The room seemed dimmer without the blue event horizon shining, but McKay was secretly glad.

Until a beeping began up in the control room. Thinking this day couldn't get any worse, he shared a look with Carter, and the two of them ran for the control room, shoving aside anyone who didn't get out of the way fast enough.

She reached it first, and stared down at the computer, frowning as what she saw made no sense.

McKay wasn't far behind, though he was breathing a little heavier – a fact he ignored as he looked down at the computer with Sam.

And then he bent down, moving her out of the way as he saw the data streaming across the screen. "No way," he whispered.

"What is it McKay?" Carter asked, a little put out that she had no clue.

The scientist stood back up, and he looked perplexed, and worried, and unsure. Something they had all become used to since arriving in Atlantis.

"McKay?"

He turned to her, still shocked. "I can't be certain," he told her. "But I think another Stargate just came online."

* * *

"What do you mean, another Stargate came online?"

Major Lorne looked from McKay to Colonel Carter, and then across to Ronon and Teyla. The two aliens looked surprised as well, and they looked to McKay for an answer.

He rubbed his eyes and leaned forward onto the conference room desk. "I mean, Major, that another Stargate, one that wasn't there before, just appeared in our database."

"Which should be impossible," Carter added, looking around. "Even in the Milky Way, every world that had a Stargate was already there, and online, we just had to find the address. But this one appears to have downloaded its address to us when it… turned on."

"So why did it turn on?" Teyla asked, just as confused as the other two.

"There can only be two reasons," McKay theorised. "One, it was off, someone turned it on. I have never heard of someone turning a Stargate off before, but I guess its possible. I mean, someone turned it on in the first place."

Ronon nodded, trying his hardest to follow. "And what's the second reason?" he asked, looking between the two scientists.

Carter nodded her head slowly. "The other possibility is that it's just been built. Which is infinitely less likely, but…"

"But, either way, there's only one group of people who could have done it," McKay finished, an excited light in his eyes for the first time in five days.

Teyla got it first. "The Ancestors!" she gasped, leaning back and taking a deep breath.

McKay nodded. "Yes. I mean, technically, someone with the gene could theoretically do it, but I highly doubt they have the expertise. The Stargates were built thousands of years ago. That knowledge only belongs to Ascended beings now, so far as we know, and they don't interfere."

"So there's a living, breathing Ancient at this planet?" Lorne asked, eyebrows up with impression. "We have to meet them."

Carter nodded. "I agree. Thankfully we have the coordinates from when it came on line -."

Rodney interrupted her with a raised finger. "Uh, sorry, but I thought I should mention this before we all go getting excited."

"Mention what?" Ronon demanded, swivelling in his chair to look at his team mate.

McKay shrugged. "Well, when the Stargate came online, something happened with ours… We need to check it first."

"Why?" Lorne asked. "This is a chance to meet an Ancient, with knowledge of the Stargate. Why wait?"

McKay rolled his eyes. "Because, Major, if something's wrong with the system, it could spit us out anywhere. Say, halfway through the wormhole, in the middle of a place you don't want to be in the middle of!"

The major put up his hands. "Okay, I get the picture. Sorry for asking." And he leaned back, shaking his head.

McKay turned to Carter. "Give me a day, to make sure the Stargate is fine. Then we'll go find this Ancient."

She waited a moment before nodding, and he could tell she still had some apprehension. "Okay. Work on it. And if everything's fine, you go through tomorrow."

* * *

He backed out of the wall of blue, shimmering light, finger squeezing the trigger as bullets flew back through the Stargate, trying to ignore the pain in his left shoulder.

"_Get the gate down!" he shouted, looking around the room, at the men, their faces blurs, guns up, aimed at the blue light. And then it died, and he dropped the weapon so it fell against his stomach._

_Feeling exhausted, he turned, cradling his left arm and trying not to feel the blood still seeping from the bullet wound. He stumbled forward, and a woman came to meet him, her blonde hair falling across her blurred face. _

_Noise came at him, but he couldn't work out what she was saying, like she was speaking underwater. The room spun, and he fell to his knees. The woman followed him, grabbing hold of his arms, making him wince. He could tell she was worried, though he could see nothing of her expression as she pressed against her ear._

"_Get Keller," she said loudly, before focusing on him. The room spun again, and he felt his eyes glaze over. And he fell, completely drained and empty…_

In his bed on Latira, he woke with a strangled cry, bolting upright and panting like he had been panting the night before. Sunlight cut into his eyes, and he looked away, dizziness swamping him so that he felt nauseous.

Trying to ignore it, he swung his feet out and turned to face the wall, away from the window. Maybe that way, he could ignore the kids looking in through it, at what they thought was a living, breathing Ancestor.

It hadn't taken long for word to spread about what had happened at the Temple. Hell, the rumour had been in the village before they had even arrived back. Immediately sick of their submissive deference for him, or their ideal of him, he had retired to his room, feigning weariness.

Obviously it had been no feign. He must have fallen asleep immediately. And had another dream. Another memory?

He ran hand through his hair and stood, moving to the basin on the drawers to wash his face.

_He dipped his hands into the river, splashing his face with cold water, trying, determined, to keep himself awake and aware despite a bullet in his shoulder. But he had been running for a day now, away from those goddamn Wraith worshippers who wanted to make sport of him. And he was –_

With a start he came back to reality, realizing he was still paused over the basin, cold water in his hands. And he knew. Had probably always known, but only now realized it. Those dreams were real.

Dropping the water, he sat slowly on the bed, grabbing a hold of the end to keep himself steady. Well, it had to be a good thing. Right? It meant his memory would return soon. Didn't it?

A sudden knock at the door made him jump, and he nearly fell off the bed. Catching his breath, he opened the door.

Laura walked in with a tray of food, and he looked outside to see the sun nearly setting. He must have been asleep for a few hours.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, and he shrugged, seeing the kids returning to the window after Laura had chased them away. He scowled.

"Like I'm on parade," he said, sitting back down. "I'm not one of your Ancestors, Laura."

She stood up straight and folded her arms. "And how do you know that?" she asked gently. He groaned with exasperation.

"Don't tell me _you_ believe it?"

"I am not sure," she answered. "But the Temple did awaken when you stepped inside, and you said it yourself, you turned the Portal on. Our people have been in there for generations, and it has never happened, nor had they found the Portal until you came."

He shook his head. "Well, I'm not," he told her stubbornly. "I just know it."

"Very well," she said with a nod of her head. She glanced at the children and scowled. "However, it is obvious that not everyone believes as you do. That was why I brought your food here. The rumours seem to have spread exceptionally quickly."

He gave a mirthless chuckle. "You're telling me… Thank you." Not that he was feeling hungry anyway. He just wanted to get some more sleep.

Laura must have sensed it, because she turned and left. He watched her chase the kids away again, and shook his head, before falling back to lay on the bed. He suddenly wanted to get out of here very badly. Not just this room. This town, this planet.

He really, really wanted to go home. Wherever home was.

* * *

As darkness touched the land, the priests in the Temple of the Ancestors barely noticed. The lights remained on, as bright as they had been when the pilot had turned them on. They had wandered all around the Temple before, knew it better than anyone, and yet it was as if they were seeing it for the first time. In a new light, as it were.

They were making their way back, having realized they had forgotten about the evening meal, when they heard it. The Portal.

Leo looked at his fellow priests, his gaze finally falling on Nathan, the youngest of them. They both knew that sound now.

Without a word they ran for the Portal room, wondering what the pilot had done now. Obviously he had left something on, or left it to work, and now the Portal was activating.

They reached the room just in time to see the spurt of what looked like water.

Holding their breath, Leo led the way into the room, gazing in wonder at the sheet of blue shimmering in the midst of the stone ring. They gazed at it with wonder, certain all of a sudden that the Ancestors were returning, and the pilot had just been leading the way.

If only.

The blue parted, and three tall… men stepped out, long weapons raised. Leo gasped, backing away instinctively, instantly recognising them. Dread filled him, and he couldn't help but shake in terror.

"The Enemy!" Nathan whispered hoarsely, turning to run. A blast came out of nowhere, hitting him squarely on the back, and the young man fell, unconscious instantly.

Leo looked back around to the approaching Enemy, eyes wide, unable to move from fear. The leader shouldered his weapon, and cocked his head, cat-like gaze sweeping over them.

More of the Enemy were appearing through the Portal now, and Leo watched, wondering how they had found them. Maybe the pilot had done something…

The room was full of the Enemy now, and the gate suddenly shut off, leaving the room once again dimmer. A few of the creatures ran out the door, but Leo couldn't take his eyes off the beast in front of him, not while it continued to stare down at him with an unwavering gaze.

"Are you the one that activated the Portal?"

Leo swallowed, trying to get moisture back into his mouth to answer. But still he couldn't, and he ended up just shaking his head nervously.

The Enemy exhaled noisily, moving its sights from Leo to the three priests around him.

"Who activated the Portal?" it demanded, bringing its gaze back. Again, Leo shook his head, but managed to speak as well.

"No- none of us," he answered. "It came on all of sudden. We didn't even know it was here."

The Enemy took a threatening step forward, and one of the priests behind Leo fainted. Leo himself jumped, trying to move back, but more of the creatures had surrounded them, and there was nowhere to go.

"Do not lie to me, human," it spat, towering over him. "You will not enjoy the consequences."

Leo shook his head. "I'm not lying. It just… turned on-."

The being gave a roar and leapt forward, grabbing onto the priest beside Leo. The man screamed as the Enemy ripped open the robe and placed a withered hand on his chest.

And then it began to feed. The priest screamed with the sudden pain, and Leo wanted to move to help him, but he was petrified, his feet rooted to the ground, and he couldn't do it. So he just stood there, horrified, as the Enemy sucked the years from the life of his friend, until there were no more years left, and the shrunken corpse dropped to the ground.

Leo watched it go, watched it hit the ground and flinched with the solid thump. He looked back up to the Enemy, and wasn't surprised to see it mere inches from his face. It didn't stop him from jumping.

"Who among you is the Ancient?" it asked slowly in a drawn out whisper, taking a hold of his robe. "Do not make me ask you again."

* * *

Cause how could we have a story without the Wraith?


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** So (obviously) I'm back from the rental's place! Sorry you all had to wait a few days for this chapter, hopefully it was worth it...

* * *

Chapter 7: Through the Portal

_His shoulder burned, but he tried to ignore it. He ran, cradling his arm and hoping he wasn't dripping blood on the ground for _them_ to follow. Because that would just make his day complete._

_And now his team had been captured! He swore as he ducked behind a tree, needing a break. Well, technically what he needed was a chance to actually bandage up the wound in his shoulder before he died of blood loss, but the Wraith were still out there. And he needed to rescue the others, before they got taken up in the damn Hive ship –_

Flash.

"_I can't get the damn door open!"_

_He heard it over the radio, and slammed a fist into the living wall. He tapped the radio. "Rodney, just get to the Gate!"_

"_Hell, no!" the radio crackled. "We're not leaving you behind!"_

"_Ronon?" he demanded, voice close to snapping._

"_Here," came the gruff reply._

"_You get to the Gate, right now. I'll meet you there." He heard the man about to answer back, and growled. "That's an order, Ronon!"_

_There was a slight pause. Then, "We're going." It was short, and angry, but it was affirmation._

"_The hell we are!" Rodney's voice came through. "We need to get him-."_

_He cut the man off. "Ronon, go now! Dammit, get them both out of here."-_

Flash.

_He ran away from the grounded Hive, keeping an eye on the distance behind him, finally free, and alive, and uncaptured. He wasn't sure how he had survived, let alone gone undetected for so long, but he was out._

_And that was when he saw them. Well, the bodies, anyway, sprawled out over the grass of the planet, not two feet from the dense forest surrounding the Hive ship. Their faces were still blurs, but he could make out two men, and one woman, and knew they were Rodney, and Ronon, and an as yet unidentified woman that he probably knew. If only he could remember._

_He swore, crouching down behind a bush as his team was surrounded by Wraith and their worshippers. Their faces he could clearly make out, and he wished he couldn't. _

_The worshippers were relieving the unconscious humans of their weapons, and he swore again, knowing he couldn't leave yet. He stepped back…_

_And under his foot, a branch snapped._

_They looked at him immediately, saw him frozen like a deer in headlights, and one of the worshippers raised the P-90, and pulled the trigger._

_Impact jarred his shoulder, and he cried out –_

And sat up, grabbing the burning limb, trying to ease the pain of the memory of being shot. It worked, slowly, and once more he tried to catch his breath as dreams threatened to send him spiralling.

After a few minutes his breathing had slowed, and all he could hear was the silence of the night. Laying back down, massaging the scar softly, he flicked his mind back over what he had remembered, smiling softly in relief as it began to come back to him. It was taking longer than he would have liked, and no one in these memories seemed to know his name either, but they were a start. He could figure out who he was, an identity. Maybe eventually, even his home would come back to him.

Smiling slightly, he shut his eyes and drifted off back to sleep, content for the first time since waking. And so he slept, unaware of how close that contentment was to being undone.

* * *

When Carter found McKay waiting in her office the next morning, she knew immediately that he hadn't gotten any sleep. He had shadows under his eyes, and he looked less than his usual neat self. Plus, there was a huge mug of coffee sitting by his elbow, but he hadn't drunk any of it, as if he had forgotten it was there.

"McKay," she greeted, and he stood up as she entered. "How you feeling?"

He gave a non-committal shrug. "I finished analysing the Stargate. It's fine. In perfect working order."

"I'm glad to hear," she answered as she sat down. "This means we might actually get to meet an Ancient."

He nodded, some of the excitement from yesterday shining through. "It would be amazing, wouldn't it?" He smiled, and he almost looked like his old self. "To pick the brain of an Ancient… I think even I could learn something."

She grinned with him. "We all can, if we ever get the chance to meet him or her." She paused, trying to think of the best way to broach the subject. "McKay…"

"Hmm?" he asked, shifting on the seat. And then his smile died as he saw her expression. "Oh, I'm not going to like this, am I?"

She gave a slight head shake. "Probably not… I know you want to go through, but are you really all right?"

Angry, he leaned forward. "You want the truth? No, I'm not really all right. But sitting around here is _not_ going to bring Sheppard back."

"Neither is going to this planet. The Ancients were clever, but they weren't gods."

"You think I don't know that?" he demanded. "I know, because I've fixed dozens of their mistakes since coming here. I know they can't bring Sheppard back, Sam. But if I go, I don't have to think about it."

"That's hardly the reason to go," she began, before he cut her off.

"Isn't it? If I'm here, everything reminds me that he's not. Eventually, I know I'll get over it, that's what I do, but for now, I need someone, or something, to take my mind off it, and working with an Ancient is a sure fire way to do it."

"Because that's what you do," she said gently, and he nodded.

"I bury myself in my work, because figuring things out lets me hide. You think I don't know that?"

Carter nodded. "Okay, I'll let you go. I'll even let Ronon and Teyla go. I'll get Lorne's team together, and you can all go through in two hours." He nodded, and stood. "Oh, and Rodney?"

He turned back to find her smiling. "Try and get some sleep."

He nodded in agreement, and left. Carter watched him go, some apprehension still inside, but she knew he needed to do this. They probably all needed to do this.

Tapping her radio, she called for Lorne. He responded instantly, and it sounded like McKay hadn't been the only one up all night.

"You go through the Gate in two hours."

* * *

They were ready in an hour and a half. Carter watched them from the balcony overlooking the Gate, waiting, anxious to be getting on with their jobs. Attaching his P-90, Lorne looked up at her and nodded.

She nodded back, and looked at the man behind her. "Dial the coordinates," she told him, and he went to work straight away. The sound of the Stargate opening met her ears as she returned to look down on the small expedition.

"Good luck," she called out, and the seven of them gave a small wave, before stepping through the event horizon. A minute later, the gate shut down and they were left with silence.

* * *

McKay stepped through the other side to a dark room, and immediately switched on the flashlight atop his gun. Raising it, he looked around, unaware of how familiar with military techniques he had become.

Lorne and his men, along with Ronon, were already scanning the room, flashlights bouncing off corners and the DHD in the centre of the room. McKay stepped away from the Stargate as it shut off, and moved towards the dialling device, Teyla at his side.

He had taken just one step when the device in his hands beeped. Getting excited, McKay looked around. "We've got some kind of energy readings," he told the others.

Lorne nodded. "Okay, spread out. Farrell, Reynolds, Wills, secure the gate room. McKay, lead the way."

It didn't take them long to reach the hot spot, moving unchallenged through the thin corridors that made Lorne, Teyla and Ronon nervous. McKay seemed oblivious to anything but the device in his hand and the energy reading on it.

"Just in here," he muttered suddenly, swiping his hand over the panel and opening the door.

It looked like a junk room. Piles of half finished or broken… things stood everywhere, mixed in with what were clearly completed projects. And in the centre of the room…

"This place is a mess," Ronon said quietly, and Teyla nodded in agreement. McKay seemed to hear, and turned to look at the other three.

"It's like someone just chucked all this stuff in here, when they didn't have enough room," he told them, turning back to the device he was staring at. "Except this."

It looked like a miniature planet, complete with protruding land masses, small mountains and seas. Only it was made from some kind of white metal, hovering a few inches off the console in the centre of the room. The area around the console was clear, free from the wreckage otherwise occupying the space.

"What is it?" Lorne asked, circling around, feeling like he recognised the shape. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

McKay looked down at his device. "I'm not sure," he muttered. "But it's giving off a reading similar to that of the jumpers' cloaking device."

"I thought that was undetectable," Lorne told him, looking up. McKay shook his head.

"Not by the Ancients. This is… Whatever it is, it's incredible. The energy readings are massive. Even if there is no Ancient here, I am definitely staying just to study this."

Suddenly Lorne's radio hissed. "Major?"

The commander tapped his radio. "Go ahead Reynolds."

"Sir, there's something you need to see."

The four of them looked at each other, and unanimously made their way from the room in silence. Though Rodney did give the device one last longing look.

Back in the Gate room, the soldiers had found something.

"Oh no," Lorne suddenly muttered, pausing in the doorway. His light landed on a body one of the soldiers had dragged out into the open.

A body clearly fed on by the Wraith.

Seeing it, Rodney's stomach clenched. "Oh no," he repeated, though his was more despairing, as Lorne gave two of his men an order to search the place. Together the two men went out of the room, turning right down the corridor outside.

Lorne turned to Rodney. "McKay, dial home. They need to know the Wraith are here too."

"And recently, it would appear," Teyla added. "Perhaps they too, were alerted to the Stargate coming online."

Groaning, McKay did as he had been told, pressing the blue dome and squinting against the sudden light. Lorne tapped his radio.

"Atlantis, this is Lorne, come in."

Everyone heard Colonel Carter's voice come over their own radios. "This is Atlantis. Did you run into some trouble, Major?"

"Not exactly," the young officer began. "But looks like the Wraith beat us here. They've been through the Stargate, left us a little dead body."

"Did you want to return?" Carter asked, leaving the choice up to them.

McKay answered for Lorne. "No," he told her. "They're not here, but they probably are after the Ancient. Which we should stop. They don't know we're here, so we do have an advantage."

Lorne scowled at him, but obviously agreed. "McKay's right, ma'am. We should stay. But we might need the Daedalus' help."

"I'll get word to Colonel Caldwell." She paused. "Keep in touch, Major. Updates, every hour."

"Every hour," Lorne agreed. "Lorne, out."

The Stargate shut down again, and the major called his men back. They reappeared almost instantly.

"We were just on our way back, sir," the older one told him. "We found a chair, like the one at Atlantis."

"So this was definitely an Ancient outpost," Rodney exclaimed, moving towards them. "Who knows what we might find here. There might even be a ZPM. Drones for the chair."

"Our priority for now is the Ancient who activated the Stargate," Lorne reminded him. "Farrell, Reynolds, I want you to stay here, have a look around. That way you can relay our messages every hour back to Atlantis. You see any Wraith approaching, contact me immediately, and get through the Stargate if you have time. If not, hide."

He turned to the others. "Come on. Let's go find this Ancient."

* * *

He should have said no.

Granted, he had accepted William's offer of lunch _before_ taking that trip to the Temple, _before_ everyone in this goddamn village had revealed just how screwed in the head they were, _before_ they had all begun believing he was one of their freaking Ancestors.

And try as he might to dissuade them, the stubborn bastards would not budge.

To say the lunch was uncomfortable had to be the understatement of the century. It had started out okay, with William's wife Nadine making lunch. The family made small talk, and he sat there, not sure what to say.

It was his third mouthful when he had realized that they all kept on looking at him. His fifth when he realized they were barely eating. His sixth when he had stifled a groan and begun to wish he had claimed to be sick, or hell, dead would have done, just so he wouldn't have to sit through another moment of their nervousness.

By the time he was half done, he had had enough. Putting down his fork, he looked up at the family.

"Okay, stop."

William seemed to flinch, and then looked at him, admiration in his eye. "Stop what?"

"The staring," he answered flatly. "Obviously everyone knows about what happened in the Temple, but I am _telling_ you, it was just coincidence. I am not one of your Ancestors."

"How can you be sure?" Nadine asked, and he couldn't stop his eyes rolling.

"What are your Ancestors?" he demanded, leaning on his forearms. "Were they human? Cause from what you told me, they sound more like gods."

They didn't appear to know what to make of that. "They were… neither, I suppose," William answered. "Something higher than humans, but less than gods. We know they lived lives – they were born, and died. They had enemies, and friends, and powerful technology. They were… highly evolved."

"Right," he agreed. "So don't you think, if I was one of these people, I would have some way of restoring my own memory? Hell, I probably wouldn't have even crashed."

William's mouth worked wordlessly. But apparently his sons were there to save the say.

"Unless that is what you would like us to think," the young man spoke up. "If you are here, you are here for a reason. Would it not be simpler for you to hide by claiming no memory?"

Well, he almost hit the kid. "So I would go and show myself by going to the Temple, and turning it all on, would I?"

The kid shook his head, looking a little chastised. He nodded, not really caring. "Right. Whatever I am, it isn't that. I'm sorry," he added, knowing how desperately these people wanted to believe their Ancestors had come back. "But I am not what you're looking for."

William nodded, a little down hearted. "Perhaps you are right. However, it is certain you at least have the Ancestors gifts flowing through your blood. Maybe they sent you here, for a purpose."

Exasperated, he decided to concede that point. "Maybe," he allowed, picking up his fork again. "Now can we enjoy this food comfortably? Please."

Sudden noise from outside said no. Hearing raised voices, he turned to look at the closed door, frowning. Then he turned back to William.

"What's going on?" he asked, and the older man looked at him quickly, before rising.

"I should like to know that myself," he muttered, moving to the door. The rest of them quickly followed.

Outside, a crowd had gathered, and they turned as one as William's door opened. Wanting to allow these people to deal with their own problems, he walked a small distance away, trying to meld into the crowd, hoping to get back to his… house. After lunch with William, he needed to get away.

"People, what is it?" William called out, and the crowd went still, a collective excitement running through them.

A young woman stepped forward when no one else seemed to be speaking up. "Travellers, William," she told him. "They claim to have come through the Portal."

* * *

Well, at least they're on the same planet now...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Greetings**

The nearest village to the Stargate ended up being over an hour away, a trip Rodney used to mutter and complain, though at half the usual irritability. And he stopped halfway there, a fallen cast to his face, as if he had just realized no one had shut him up. Because usually that was Sheppard's job.

The village was small, but what seemed to be a large crowd of people was spilling forth, coming towards them with a steady, deliberate pace.

"I hope that's the welcoming committee," McKay muttered, before putting on his best friendly face. Lorne rolled his eyes at it, and took the lead, hand resting comfortably on his P-90.

"Must be the village of that girl we met," Ronon said, more to fill the silence than anything. "She ran off pretty quick, she must've gone to tell her people."

"Could be," Teyla answered. "At least there are no Wraith nearby." At Lorne's quick glance she nodded. "I am sure, Major. But perhaps we should warn them."

The crowd had paused now, and the travellers walked the rest of the distance, coming to a halt a few feet in front of them. An elderly man appeared to be the leader, the young woman they had met by his side. The man nodded graciously.

"Welcome, travellers, to Latira. I must say, this is an honour."

"Thank you," Teyla answered, better at this meet and greet stuff than the others. "It is an honour to be greeted with such a warm welcome."

"Certainly beats other places," McKay piped up, a little of that uncertainty appearing in his voice – like it always did, even when he wasn't actually uncertain about anything.

The man barely avoided frowning at the comment, but turned back to Teyla as she stood next to Lorne. "Please, join me in my house, for something to eat and drink. It is a long walk from the Temple of the Ancestors."

"Oh, you have no idea," McKay said before could help himself, the lure of food easing him like it usually did. Ronon glanced at him, shaking his head.

"No. You don't."

Confused by their exchange, the man stepped to the side and swept his arm towards the village. "Please, this way."

Teyla and Lorne moved to walk beside him, while the other three walked a few feet behind. The major made introductions as they moved into the village.

"I'm Major Evan Lorne," he greeted. "This is Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Dr. Rodney McKay and Lieutenant Wills."

"I am William. I am the elder of our village." He glanced across at Lorne. "Your uniforms are… quite unusual. May I ask your purpose for visiting our planet?"

Lorne and Teyla exchanged a look, both hearing the hesitation. Eventually Lorne decided on at least the partial truth. "Do you know about the Stargate, in your… Temple, did you call it?"

The man's eyes seemed to jerk, but otherwise he made no outward movement besides walking. "I believe you are referring to the Portal, Major. Yes, we know of it."

"Obviously you've already heard we came through it. We noticed your Portal come online, yesterday, and we were curious. We always like to meet new people, see what we can do to help, if they need our help."

"Come online?" William asked, not having heard the terminology before. McKay spoke up from behind.

"Turned on. Your Stargate turned on yesterday, right out of nowhere."

William turned back to the scientist, eyes wide. "Is that so? That is strange. Are you here to find out why?"

"Amongst other things," Teyla answered slowly. "But Major Lorne was truthful in saying we like to meet new people, and help if we can. We had not previously travelled to Latira, and were curious about her people."

William nodded quickly, leading them to his house and opening the door. He gave them a wry smile as he held it open. "Perhaps once you come to know us, you will not be so curious. We are a simple people."

Teyla nodded at him as she entered the house, and the men went in behind her. None of them saw William motion at his son and mutter a few words in his ear. Nor did they notice the young man run for a small house on the outskirts of the town.

They moved to take seats around the table, but stopped when they saw it was set, and there were half-empty plates of food on it. Teyla looked to William.

"We are sorry, we have interrupted your meal."

The man waved his hand. "It does not matter. It is not every day we get visitors through the Portal. Come, meet my wife, Nadine," he hugged the elderly woman around the shoulders as she appeared. "I would introduce you to my two sons, but they appear to have run off in the excitement."

"Who's the fifth plate for?"

Ronon's voice was sharp, but it held everything they were all feeling. William was hiding something. And he didn't trust them, not completely. And they all wanted to know why.

The man seemed stumped for a moment, then he smiled, though it was forced. "A guest to my house, but he too has run off. Please, take a seat. We will just clear the table, and we may talk."

* * *

He didn't stay to see the travellers. It was of no interest to him. He was a stranger to these parts as well, so he had no say in any events that transpired between the newcomers and the Latirans. Besides, it was hard enough dealing with the stares of the villagers, let alone any possibility these travellers worshipped the Ancestors as well.

He walked through the sparse forest that eventually would lead to his crash site. Not that he realized it at first. His feet just took him anywhere he let them, and they took him in that direction.

He didn't make it there though. Before he left the forest, he stopped in a small hollow, hidden – or so it seemed – from the entire world. There, he sat down, enjoying the silence, and the non-judgemental nature surrounding him. He leaned against a large tree, and closed his eyes.

A sharp, grating whistle from overhead made his eyes snap open, and he stood, a memory of a terror surging deep from within. He knew that sound.

Setting off at a run, he made his way to the edge of the forest that he knew was nearby. Here the trees were too dense for him to see the sky, but he looked up anyway, alternating between searching for that infinite blue and making sure he wasn't about to trip. That way he saw the ship when it flew overhead.

He slowed to a stop as it did, breath coming hard now, and a word floated from the fog of his memory. _Dart_.

_The Dart was one of the only ships still in the damn Hive, and taking the stolen stunner, he shot at the Wraith about to get into it. He had to get off this ship. He was the rescuer dammit, not the to be rescued. _

_He climbed into the cockpit, and winced as he remembered everything would be in Wraith. And that particular set of language skills hadn't really improved all that much._

_But he wasn't about to stick around. He could do this. He had done it without an English console before, he could do it again. He could!_

_He punched a few buttons, flicked a few switches, and the ship came on, the opaque shield covering him before he could stop it. Not that he particularly wanted to be subjected to that whole vacuum of space thing Rodney was always going on about, but he would have liked to have been able to see for a little while longer._

_Deciding there was no time like the present, he held his breath, got the weapons on line, and headed for the bay opening. A second later, he pulled the trigger, aiming for anywhere and everywhere in the dart bay – better chance of secondary explosions, that was what they always told him –_

Trying to get his breath back, he quickly looked back up at the Dart as it disappeared in the direction of the mountain. Licking his lips, and deciding there was no time like the present, he set off after it, running as hard as he could.

Which, admittedly, in his physical state, wasn't saying much. The Dart outran him in a matter of seconds, and it didn't leave him any kind of trail to follow.

He kept heading in the same direction though, reduced to walking fast after a while, the scar on his chest hurting. He kept to the tree line as much as he could, keeping an eye out for any more of those ships, and hoping he was still moving in the right direction. Those Darts looked agile, and he got the feeling he knew from first hand experience, if his returning memories were to be believed.

He was approaching the mountain that held the Temple from a different angle than before, and so he came around to the other side from where he had ascended it the day before. If he had taken the same direct route as he had with Laura, he would have missed the Wraith settlement all together.

But from the tree line, it was hard to miss.

He paused, gaping as the tents came into sight, before deciding it was probably better if he moved back. The camp was a small distance out from the forest, but he didn't want to chance being seen. He ducked down behind a rocky outcrop and took a look.

It was hard to see anything from this distance, but he wasn't about to chance getting closer. He didn't think he would admit it to anyone else, but even when he knew nothing about these creatures, the Wraith scared him.

From his position he could see enough. He counted twelve tents, and dozens of Wraith coming in and out. He couldn't tell them apart, but he knew there were maybe thirty. Which was about thirty too many. How had they gotten here?

He frowned. For that matter, how had the Darts gotten here? William had said something about this planet being shielded from space. That no one knew they were there. So how had the Wraith Darts found them?

Had he done something? Swallowing guiltily, he realized the Wraith could have come through the Stargate. Which would make this his fault, because he had been the one to turn it on. Those strangers at the village had come through, why not Wraith?

Which still didn't explain the Darts, but he figured if the Wraith had turned up, found the place less uninhabited than the scans would have shown, they would know something was up, and land the planes anyway.

Licking his lips, he backed away, knowing instinctively which way the village was. He had to warn the Latirans. Had to get them hidden, and then find out what had happened to the priests in the Temple. Cursing silently, he realized he should have thought of them sooner. If the Wraith had come through the Portal, were the priests all right?

From what he remembered about Wraith, that was probably a big, fat no.

Moving as silently as he could, he broke out into a run once more, and made his way back to the village. There had to be a way to stop the Wraith from destroying Latira.

* * *

"The Wraith?" William asked, unsure, as he looked at his wife. "What are these Wraith?"

Teyla and Ronon, more than the others, stared with shock at the admission. After a moment of silence, the big guy spoke up.

"You've never heard of the Wraith?" he demanded. "Come on. Everyone knows of the Wraith."

William shook his head with another look at his wife. "Sorry, no. We have been protected here, from any detection."

"Protected how?" Lorne asked, hoping maybe they could finally find out – inconspicuously – if there were any Ancients here.

"The gifts of the Ancestors, of course. We have not had any otherworldly visitors for some time."

Rodney, it seemed, had given up on patience at about the same time as Lorne had finally spilled about the Wraith arrival. "There wouldn't happen to be any here, would there?" he asked, ignoring the other's stares. "Ancestors, I mean."

"No," William answered shortly. Almost too shortly, and far too quickly. "No, they have not been to Latira in many generations. But they left some of their devices, to hide us from the Enemy."

"The Enemy?" Teyla asked with a frown. "Who are these Enemy?"

"The Enemy of the Ancestors," Nadine told them all in a small voice. "Beasts, who suck the very years from your life. The fought the Enemy a long time ago."

"Ah," Lorne said, leaning back with understanding. "Well, your Enemy would be our Wraith. The Enemy are here, on Latira."

Both of them went pale, and she grabbed onto her husband's arm. "Ancestors help us," she whispered, shaking her head. "It cannot be."

"Afraid so," McKay answered. "They arrived through the Stargate some time last night."

"The priests!" William cried, sitting up straight. "Did you find the priests, when you came through the Portal?"

Lorne shared a look with Teyla, who answered. "We found one body which had been fed upon by the Wraith. Did you have more priests?"

William nodded. "We did. Do you know what happened to them?"

"Most likely taken," Teyla answered softly. "By the Wraith."

William shook his head. "Please, you must help us."

Lorne shifted in his seat. "We will try," he told them after a moment. "If we can get into contact with our home, they might be able to send more troops. Might," he warned as their faces lit up. "Well go back to the Temple now, see what we can do." He rose, and the others stood with him. "Thanks for the drink. We'll be back in a few hours."

He paused before leaving entirely, and turned back to William. "If you see the Wraith, or hear a strange whistle overhead… run. Run for the forest, and split up. If you've got any caves, or mines around, hide. Lieutenant Wills will stay here with you, so we can meet up later. Listen to what he says."

William nodded from where he still stood in his seat, before hugging his wife. Lorne turned to Wills.

"We're not leaving Latira, lieutenant. If you hear Darts, or see trouble, radio me immediately."

And then they left, and inside his house, William rose to break the news to his people.

* * *

Sorry, it was a bit slow again. It speeds up soon, I swear!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Attack**

"Anyone else think they were hiding something?" Ronon asked as the four of them made their way from the village. McKay snorted.

"Well, if I could tell, then it was something big." He shook his head. "It has something to do with the Stargate."

"Or an Ancient," Lorne added, looking around as they entered the forest that would take them back to the Temple. The others nodded in agreement.

"We'll ask some questions when we get back," Lorne continued. "For now, we should try and deal with these Wraith. Ronon, Teyla, when we get back to the Temple, I want you to head off, see if you can find where they went. McKay and I will meet up with Farrell and Reynolds, and contact Atlantis. Try and get some reinforcements, and see how Colonel Caldwell's going."

"What do you think their story is?" McKay asked. Ronon chuckled.

"I think they're hiding one of the Ancestors. I reckon that was who the fifth plate was for. And they know the Ancestor turned the Stargate on." Ronon shrugged. "But it was obvious they didn't trust us, so they kept their mouths shut."

Teyla nodded in agreement. "Perhaps if we tell them we come from the city of the Ancestors, they will be more trusting."

Up ahead, Lorne nodded. "When we get back, we'll tell them about the city. If we deal with these Wraith."

"Wait!" McKay suddenly called out, and Lorne turned.

"McKay, this is no time for…" But McKay wasn't looking at him. He was looking out into the forest. And he looked like he had seen a ghost. "McKay, what is it?"

For a moment the scientist didn't answer, eyes still searching the surrounding forest, looking, looking. Then he shook his head, though it looked as if the movement were hard.

"Nothing. I just thought I saw… someone. It's anxiety. Plus I'm starving. Come on, maybe Sam can send through some food as well." He turned back to the group. "Come on. The quicker we deal with these Wraith, the quicker we get to meet an Ancient."

* * *

That had been close.

He had heard them before he had seen them, and had ducked accordingly, before peering out over the fallen log to spy on them as they left. They were a fair distance away, but he knew one of them had seen him. Thankfully it was only one.

He waited until they had disappeared out of sight, and got up to run the rest of the distance to the village. Or would have, if Samuel hadn't run out to meet him before he could go in.

The younger man motioned to the wall of a house, out of sight of everyone, and he moved over there, frowning with curiosity.

"What is it?" he asked straight away, looking the man in the eye. Samuel shook his head.

"The strangers. We think they were asking after you."

His frown deepened. "Why? Do you think they know me?" His stomach clenched with sudden anxiety, and he nearly turned on the spot to run after them. Until he saw Samuel shake his head.

"Not personally, no. But they were asking about the Ancestors. And they asked after the one who turned the Portal on." The young man shook his head as he winced. "Father wanted to be sure you wanted to meet them before he mentioned you."

"Where is he? I need to speak to him right now," he asked, suddenly remembering why he had been running since leaving the Wraith settlement. He had to get these people to safety, before they suffered for what he had done. And why did that sound all too familiar?

"He is speaking with the man the strangers left behind. I can see if he can get away, if you would like to wait in your room?"

He thought about that for a moment, before shaking his head. "This guy's going to have to find out about me. This can't wait. We need to leave."

He took off at a steady walk for the village, and Samuel turned to catch up. "If you are talking about the Enemy, the strangers already warned us. We are prepared to leave as soon as we hear their ships."

He frowned at the young man. "I don't think that's going to be soon enough. I saw one of their ships, and they're fast. Really fast. Now, where's your -."

A sharp whistle overhead cut him off, and, that same terror surging, he looked up to find three Wraith Darts hurtling over the top of the village. The colour drained from Samuel's face, and he looked down at the kid as the Darts turned to come for another strike.

"Nope. Definitely not soon enough."

* * *

The four stopped still as the Darts whistled overhead, and Lorne cursed under his breath, before tapping his radio.

"Wills, you got incoming!" he cried, trying not to attract any attention, though the canopy was dense – hopefully too dense for the Wraith to pick up on the four life signs.

"Yeah, I noticed, sir!" came back the frantic reply. The sound of gunfire filled all their ear sets. "There's Darts scooping people up, and we got ground troops as well!"

Lorne looked at his companions. "Ground troops? How the hell did they get by us?" There was no answer. "Wills? Wills!"

Cursing, Lorne set off at a run, in the same direction they had been going. "Come on, we've got to get back to the Gate and send a message through. It's the only hope this planet has."

* * *

He tackled Samuel to the side and somehow they both avoided the beam that would have transported them to their certain death. Beneath him, the young man, reduced to a kid in his terror, gave a small cry and shoved out from underneath him. He got up as well, giving the man a worried look.

"Samuel? Sam? Sam!" He finally got the kid's attention, and only then by grabbing onto his shoulders. "My weapons, where are they?"

Giving the kid something to do seemed to bring him out from his terrified madness, and he actually looked him in the eye. "This way," he whispered.

They both ducked as the stranger continued firing, and shouting things in his mike. They couldn't hear what, because everyone was screaming, and running, panicking, having no clue what to do. They dodged as many people as they could, but more often than not they ran into them, grimacing as they added more panic to the mess.

Dodging one more beam, they managed to make it to William's house. Samuel rifled through a draw, and pulled out the knife and a small gun. A 9mm, he remembered. He did remember that. The kid handed him the weapons.

"Thanks. Now, hide. If you have a basement, or something, get in there, and hide, and don't come out."

Samuel nodded and ran for the kitchen. Leaving the knife's sheath on the floor, he held it in his hand, and checked – all on autopilot – that the gun had ammo. It was nearly full, and he gave a grin, before moving to the door.

Outside it was chaos. People ran everywhere, even over those laying unconscious on the ground. The gunfire had stopped, and he could just see the man being dragged away by a tall, thick Wraith, the… _P-90_ dragging along behind him. Knowing he could use a weapon like that, he moved to just inside the doorway, took aim, and fired.

The Wraith jerked as it was hit, and he planted another three bullets in its back before it fell. Feeling a surge of triumph, he moved, looking around everywhere for any Wraith that had its attention on him. Thankfully none did, and he managed to make it to the fallen man. He had to roll him over to get at the weapon, and that was when he realized.

This man wore the same uniform he had been wearing when he had crashed.

He couldn't help it. He paused. These people did know him. Hell, he could remember this kid, could remember doing… something with him. _Wa… Wi… Wil… Wills!_ Wills, that was the soldier's name. How he knew that, or why, he wasn't sure, but he _knew _this kid!

A shadow was all the warning he had, and seeing the wide shadow cast over the ground, he turned. It was warning enough. The Wraith had its stunner weapon raised, but he fired first, as he fell back. Another three bullets left his weapon, and hit the Wraith, point blank range, in the gut. It gave a small grunt, before collapsing.

Getting to his knees, he gave the soldier another glance, before grabbing the P-90 and finding his feet once more. He tucked the 9mm in his pants, wishing he didn't have to, and went to find some more target practice.

It wasn't hard. There seemed to be dozens of the damn things around, though in reality there could only have been twenty. So he picked one at random, and pulled the gun up.

He moved towards it as he fired, knowing standing still was just giving them a motionless target. The Wraith fell after a few seconds, and the woman it had been about to stun crawled away.

Movement behind him. He spun, just in time to duck as the stunner was used as a club. He regained his height quickly, still moving purely with instinct, and aimed the gun once again at the thing's stomach. The bullets ripped through it, and the Wraith fell back.

But there were still too many of them, and only one of him. Another two came at him, their attention now on the one cutting them down. He grimaced as he realized, and took out one of the Wraith coming at him before the other was on top of him.

It lashed out with the stunner again, and this time he didn't move fast enough. The end caught the P-90, and it was knocked from his hands.

Somehow he managed to keep a hold of the knife still, but he reached for the 9mm instead, bringing it around just as the Wraith lunged.

They both went down as he pulled the trigger, and he felt Wraith blood seep onto his stomach. Grimacing, he shoved the thing off him, before making sure it was dead with another shot to its head.

He got to his feet, slowly, massaging his scarred shoulder, grateful it hadn't broken open. And that one personal moment cost him.

Before he even knew what was happening, something hit him, and it took him a moment to realize it was a Wraith stunner. And in that moment, he fell to his knees, quickly losing the fight to stay conscious. The gun and knife dropped from his hands, and he fell to the ground with a grunt.

Darkness swallowed him.

* * *

A small knock at her door made Carter jump, and she looked up from where she had been staring blankly at her computer screen. Chuck was standing at her door, looking a little guilty, and a lot more surprised that he had taken her off guard.

"Sorry, Colonel Carter, I didn't meant to startle you."

She shook her head. "No, it's okay Chuck. What is it?"

"The Daedalus is in range, ma'am."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she stood and followed him across to the control room, where they had already set up the communication.

"Daedalus, this is Atlantis, come in."

A short crackle, and Caldwell's voice came over the speaker. "Colonel Carter, how can I help you?"

She decided to give him the brief version. "Yesterday a new Stargate came on line. Some of my people went through this morning to see if they could find the Ancient responsible, and reported that the Wraith beat us there. Are you able to go and give them some assistant? They've gone to warn the people."

"I suppose we can do that," Caldwell answered. "Send us the coordinates."

Carter nodded at the man stationed behind her, and he pressed a few buttons on his laptop. "Sending transmission now."

There was a moment's silence. And then another moment. Then Caldwell's confused voice came over the speaker.

"Colonel Carter, are you sure these are the right coordinates?"

She looked at the man behind her with a frown, only to see that he too was frowning, and nodding.

"Yes, we're sure, Colonel Caldwell. Why, is there a problem?"

"Uh, yeah," the commander answered. "According to our sensors, there's no life on that planet."

Carter's frown deepened. "And how would you know that?" she asked, trying to imagine any way he could. Obviously it wasn't every way though.

"Because, colonel, that was the planet Sheppard crashed on."

* * *

Dum dum daaaaa...


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Sorry about not posting last night. I got a phone call yesterday from a book store asking me to come in for an interview - I ended up doing a six hour shift and closing up the store after being on my lonesome for a few hours - it was scary, I can tell you! I mean, who leaves someone alone on ther first shift. Not that I screwed anything up... I think. Anyways, that was why I didn't post, cause I didn't get back until 10. Which sucked, cause it's the middle of exams...

Anywho, I think this chapter will more than make up for it...

* * *

Chapter 10: Possibilities

Rodney was puffing by the time he reached the plateau before the Temple, and could tell he was slowing everyone down, even though they refused to mention it. But the way up had been hard, and he was having a difficult time breathing.

But he didn't give up, didn't stop running until they were through the gate and into the large cavern before the Ancient outpost.

Lorne went ahead with Ronon, while Teyla stayed with Rodney, who finished off half his water as he slowed to a walk.

"Not used to running that hard," he explained quickly, in one breath. "Or that long… or that fast. I'll be right."

Sudden gunfire begged to differ, and the two of them gave each other a look before running for the Stargate.

They met Lorne and Ronon, and the two men who had been left behind halfway, running away from…

"Wraith!" Ronon shouted, firing over his shoulder. "Move, move!"

Teyla and McKay spun on the spot, and began moving the other way. "What happened?" Teyla demanded as they came back out into the small room between the corridor and the cavern.

"Began dialling out when someone dialled in," Lorne explained. "Wraith began coming out. Heaps of them."

"I counted twenty-five before we left," Ronon added, turning completely to face the way they were running as they entered the cavern. "And it looked like more were coming through."

Still exhausted from the long run here, McKay felt himself falling behind. Panting, not ready to be caught by Wraith again, not so soon after the last time, he pushed himself. But it was no good. He began falling behind.

Wraith began firing from behind them, and McKay ducked, before turning and firing madly at their attackers. He just aimed at the door, and shot whatever tried to get through. He tried running backwards, but his coordination just wasn't that good.

More gunfire joined his, and he looked back to see the others already at the gate, giving him cover. He turned again, desperate to keep his footing, trying hard to keep breathing.

And then he was falling, his entire back numb, darkness seeping in from the edges of his sight. And he cursed, mentally, because he realized he had been stunned by the Wraith behind him.

He didn't see Ronon start running for him. He didn't see the big guy stopping as a stunner hit nearby, at his feet. He didn't see the Wraith as the creatures surrounded him, picking up his feet to drag him back. Didn't see his friends disappearing when they realized they wouldn't help him by being caught themselves. All he saw was black.

* * *

Waking wasn't fun. In fact, he rated it up there with waking on this planet, with no clue who he was, what he was doing there, or why he ached so badly.

At least this time he knew why everything hurt. Those Wraith stunners hurt like nothing else that he could remember. Go figure.

Giving a groan, he sat up and opened his eyes, having to blink a few times before the blurriness went away. Then he saw Laura sitting in front of him, her eyes red with fright, hugging her knees. He gave a sigh.

"We got caught by the Wraith, didn't we?"

He didn't really need her nod, but got it anyway. Sighing again, he looked around, trying to ignore everything that still tingled. It looked like everyone from the village was here, in this tent, and they all looked terrified. He looked around, seeing William and his family in another corner. No, not everyone. He looked around some more, and couldn't see Samuel. Maybe the kid had gotten away.

He certainly hoped so. He looked to the entrance, and saw the Wraith guards standing there, two on this side, and another four outside. Just in case the prisoners got any ideas.

Which wasn't likely, he thought, looking around. At first glance the tent looked secure, no doubt some kind of Wraith technology. The bottom seemed to meld right into the ground.

"How long ago did they get us?" he asked, turning back to Laura. He tried to keep calm, not let his own fear show. Maybe then, everyone else would calm down, and then they could help him escape. Hell, maybe he could just get some of them to stop crying.

Laura shrugged. "A little over two hours," she told him softly, loosening her hold on her knees and moving towards him. "They have not said anything to us yet. Just left us in here. No doubt to feed on us when they feel hunger."

"Hey, no use thinking like that," he told her, putting a little command into his tone without realizing it. She still responded to it, sitting up straighter, losing some of her visible fear. Then she shook her head.

"I do not know where Leo is," she told him. "They came through the Portal. That was what the strangers told us. But the priests are not here."

"I'm sure he's fine," he told her, not really thinking about it. The strangers. No, not strangers. He had known at least one of them. He looked back up at her. "Is that soldier here?" he asked. She nodded.

"Not in this tent though. They took him away elsewhere."

He swore, his hopes dashed. Laura looked like she was about to ask what the problem was, when someone gave a cry from near the entrance. He looked up to find three Wraith, tall, skinny and more intelligent looking, entering the tent, accompanied by another two of those guards. He stood, and everyone stood with him, some defiance entering their stances, as if his own was contagious.

The lead Wraith sneered at them, looking around, before taking a step forward, and hissing. Those closest to it cried out again and took an involuntary step back. The Wraith smirked.

"Which of you is the Ancient?" it demanded, looking around, gaze sweeping around the captives.

To their credit, no one said a thing, for which he was grateful. They didn't even look at him, or give away any sign that might point in his direction.

The Wraith hissed. "Which of you is the Ancient?" it demanded again, slower this time, more malevolent. A few people twitched, but he suddenly realized that they wouldn't give him up. Not for anything. He felt uneasiness grow in his gut. This would not turn out well.

The Wraith hissed again, and then nodded. One of the other skinny ones reached out to grab a quivering woman whose name he hadn't heard yet. Uncaring of anything, the thing ripped her shirt open and pulled its hand back, ready to feed.

He wasn't about to let that happen. "Wait!" he cried, stepping forward even as Laura grabbed onto his arm, hissing at him to stop. He shrugged her off and moved to the front, where the three Wraith were staring at him, the hand paused before it could suck the life from the poor woman.

"It's me," he told them, staring the leader straight in the eye. "I'm the Ancient."

The Wraith dropped the woman, and she fell to the ground, tears coming at her relief. The leader nodded, and the two guards moved forward to grab his arms. Giving Laura a last look, sure he would never see any of them again, he allowed himself to be hauled from the tent out into the darkening evening.

* * *

The village seemed eerily quiet, and strangely untouched. Even from the distance of the tree line, they could see no movement, no sign of life, no sign that anyone had been left behind.

Lorne licked his lips then nodded at his remaining team. He, Farrell and Reynolds moved off first, while Ronon and Teyla covered their six. Keeping an eye out in all directions, they made their way silently to the village.

It was just as eerie inside the centre of the buildings. There seemed to be nothing left, or at least, nobody.

"The entire village was taken," Teyla said softly, though no one really needed it stated. And no one answered; they just continued walking through the village, guns up, searching for anything.

"What are we even doing here?" Ronon demanded suddenly. "We should be looking for their ships, so we can get McKay back."

Lorne gave him a look. "That's what we are doing, Ronon. Wills said they had ground troops. From what Zelenka tells me, they couldn't have fit the troops in the Darts with the prisoners. So we, or rather, you, follow the tracks, take us there, and we rescue them all at once."

"We should have stayed at the mountain, followed them," the big man argued back childishly. He wasn't used to taking orders, and usually didn't have to except from… Sheppard.

"The mountain was too well guarded," the major explained. "Too many of them there, they would have caught -."

"Ssh," Teyla suddenly hissed, eyes focused on the building they had been in earlier. William's house. "There is someone in there."

Lorne and Ronon turned to aim there as well, covering Teyla as she moved forward. "You can come out!" she called. "We will not harm you!"

There was a moment of silence, before the door opened slightly, and a head poked out. A young man, early twenties at most, who looked pale and shaken.

"You are the strangers from before," he said, coming out all the way and shutting the door behind him. Teyla nodded, smiling gently.

"We are. Are you one of William's sons?"

He nodded quickly, nervously. "I am Samuel. Are you here to help my people?"

Lorne moved slowly to stand beside Teyla, dropping his gun so it lay against his stomach. "We're going to do everything we can to get them back," he told the kid. Not that the kid was really that much younger than him.

"How'd you get away?" Ronon suddenly asked, coming to stand on the other side of Teyla.

The kid looked behind him, back to the house. "Um, he told me to get in the basement, and hide, so I, uh… did."

Lorne frowned. "Who told you that?"

The young man walked down the stairs, shrugging. "I, uh, don't know his name," he said, suddenly nervous, as if remembering something.

"Are you talking about your father's guest?" Teyla asked, as if she were piecing it together.

For a moment the man didn't answer. Ronon growled. "Look, if we're going to help you, you need to answer our questions, so we know everything."

Samuel swallowed, then sighed. "Yes, my father's guest."

"And you don't know his name?" Lorne asked, disbelieving. "Even though you were having lunch with him?"

"He does not know his name either!" the kid defended. "He does not remember anything."

"You mean he has amnesia?" Lorne asked, wondering if it was the Ancient they had come to find. Samuel nodded.

"Yes. He lost his memory when he crashed here six days ago."

The three of them stood up straight, and Farrell and Reynolds turned around as well, staring at the man. They were all thinking it. It had to be too much of a coincidence. Right?

"Describe him," Lorne ordered, taking a step forward. "What did this guy look like?"

Samuel's nervousness spiked again. "I don't know-."

Ronon cut him off. "Describe him," he commanded softly, threateningly. He all but loomed above the man – Samuel had no hope of disobeying.

"About my height, but older than me," he said, quickly. "Dark hair… He saved my life. He, uh… actually, he was wearing clothes like yours, when he crashed. And he knew how to use your weapons."

"You don't think?" Lorne asked softly, turning to Teyla. They were all shocked. "He couldn't have survived a crash like that. You heard the transmission."

"If anyone could, it would be Sheppard," Ronon told them. "Like McKay said, the guy had more luck than god."

"Do you know him?" Samuel asked. "I mean, father suspected, but he was going to give the man a choice. After all, you were asking about the Ancestors, and you came through the Portal, only a day after he turned it on…" He trailed off suddenly, as if he had said too much. But they had all heard it.

"He turned it on?" Lorne demanded. 'This guy with the amnesia?"

Samuel nodded again, though he clearly wasn't happy with himself. "I was there. We didn't even know the Portal was there until the Temple awoke when he stepped inside. Then he turned the Portal on by touching this crystal… We thought he was one of the Ancestors."

Teyla took a deep breath. "Well, he does have the gene," she reminded them. "If the Temple truly was an outpost of the Ancestors, it stands to reason someone with the gene could turn it on."

Lorne looked back at Samuel. "Was this guy taken in the attack?" he asked, hopes soaring. The man nodded.

"He asked me where his weapons were, and I showed him. He told me to hide, but I didn't straight away, not until the Enemy stunned him." He gave a grin. "And not until he had taken out four or five of them."

Ronon gave a chuckle. "Sounds like Sheppard all right. We need to find out if it is."

Lorne nodded. "Definitely. But try not to get too hopeful," he warned them. "If it isn't him, it's going to be twice as hard." But he could tell it was too late. Hell, even he was excited about the prospect of seeing his old commander alive and well. He gave a nod. "Ronon, see if you can pick up those tracks. Let's go get these people back."

* * *

Well, at least they hadn't fed on him yet.

That was the only good thing McKay could see in this. They hadn't fed on him. Yet. Because he was trapped in some stinking cell the Wraith had discovered at the bottom of the Temple, which had apparently been hidden since the Ancients had left. They had left him down here, and hadn't come back, leaving him without food or water, and he was way too close to having a meltdown for him to be starving.

He sat on the bench in the middle of the cell – too like the one at Atlantis for him to be comfortable – and felt his leg going off. Just tap, tap, tapping, so quick it was even beginning to annoy him, but he had no clue what they were going to do with him, and he was nervous.

Suddenly the door to the room outside the cell opened, and a Wraith came in, that sickening sneer stretching its face. McKay stood, sure he was doomed, and tried not to flinch as the cell opened.

The Wraith wasn't alone though. Two more followed it, and between them, obviously a prisoner, walked…

Any nerves or fear suddenly leaving him, McKay ran to the front of the cell, sure he was seeing things again. Because it couldn't be. It just couldn't…

The Wraith opened the cell door, intending to keep the scientist back with a nasty glare. But he needn't have, because McKay was too stunned to even breath. Never, in all his wildest dreams…

And as he struggled to get higher brain functions back on line, one of the Wraith guards pushed the supposedly dead John Sheppard into the cell with him.

* * *

Do I hear a... YAY!


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** Phew! That was a marathon effort! For those who don't know, I reply (or at least try to) to every review sent my way, and you are all being nice enough to send me these awesome reviews that it takes ages to reply! It's fantabulous! So, thank you all sooooo much! If you didn't get the idea from my replies...

Sorry, this chapter might be a bit slow, but it's got the explanations in it (thus the title) and the action soon picks up again after it!

* * *

Chapter 11: Explanations

Sheppard watched him with a curious glance as the Wraith shut the cell again, and left the two of them alone. Still speechless, McKay walked up to him, because John Sheppard was supposed to be dead, and yet this was the second time he had seen him. He was sure he was hallucinating. Just to make extra sure, he moved to poke the apparition.

The apparition swatted the hand away before McKay could touch him, and moved away, obviously worried about his cell mate's sanity.

Finally remembering to breath, McKay's jaw dropped, and he gave a relieved laugh, that threatened to become hysterics.

"I don't believe it," he said, unable to stop the grin, despite his current situation. Granted, his current situation had just gotten a whole lot better.

Sheppard, on the other hand, seemed to be still worried. Looking around, and realizing there was no one else in the room, he leaned forward.

"Do I know you?"

And McKay's hopes, and relief, and every good feeling that had come to him in the past thirty seconds crashed against the pointed rocks that lay at the bottom of his stomach.

"Know me?" he asked, his voice embarrassingly high. "Sheppard, it's me, McKay!"

Sheppard's jaw dropped, and he suddenly looked hopeful. Stepping forward a few feet, he took a deep breath. "Do you know me?" he asked, slowly, deliberately. McKay's heart skipped a few beats.

"You don't… you don't remember me, do you?"

The man scowled. "Remember you? I don't even remember me!"

"Oh."

It was all Rodney could say. Shocked, never expecting _this_, not in his wildest dreams, he had to sit down. This was just… too much. It was evil, that was what it was.

"Wow."

Sheppard squatted down in front of him, looking like all _his_ wildest dreams had been answered. This was just unfair. "You do know me, don't you," he said, grinning. "I don't believe it."

McKay gave a laugh. "Trust me, I'm having a hard time believing it too." He shook his head. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Well that made the man spiral. Losing his relief, he stood up, backing away, suddenly suspicious. "We're not friends?" he half-asked. McKay's heart lurched, and he stood up immediately.

"No, God no, we are. It's just… you crashed, and your ship was going so fast, and the Daedalus couldn't detect any life signs on the planet…" He frowned, pausing. "Which is obviously not true. But we searched for you, but found no trace… I mean, the _Daedalus_ couldn't pick up any life signs, and neither could the HUD on the jumper Lorne was flying, and… Oh my God."

Sheppard shifted uncomfortably, moving away slightly. "Yeah, apparently this place has some kind of device that their Ancestors left behind… Makes them undetectable from space."

McKay made the link immediately. "That miniature planet in the junk room!"

Sheppard must have taken it as some kind of question, because he shrugged. "I have no clue, it's just what they keep telling me."

McKay shook his head, getting that relief back, because damn it was good to see John again. "I can't believe you're actually alive. I told Sam you had more luck than God!" He lost his smile. "And we never would have found you if… Oh my God, we weren't even looking! We didn't think anyone could have survived that crash."

Sheppard shrugged. "I almost didn't," he answered. "The Latirans got me from the Dart before it exploded. Brought me here where one of the priests healed me as much as he could."

McKay gave a weak grin. "Well, I'm glad about that."

The colonel nodded, then seemed to grow unsure. It wasn't an expression Rodney was used to seeing on him. "So, uh, if you know who I am…" He gestured with his hands, and McKay got the picture.

"Sorry, right. Uh," McKay shook his head again. God, wasn't Atlantis going to get a shock. "You're name's John Sheppard. You're a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. One of the best pilots in two galaxies."

"John Sheppard," he muttered, smiling. "I like it. So, I am a pilot. The Latirans figured I was."

"Well, they're right. Sort of. You're not so much a pilot now, as the officer in charge of the military in Atlantis."

"Atlantis…" That looked like it tweaked a memory. "I think I remember Atlantis. Water comes to mind."

McKay grinned. "Yeah, it floats. And flies. In fact, you've flown it before. It's the City of the Ancients."

"The Ancients?" he asked, suddenly uncomfortable. "So I really am one?"

"What?" McKay asked, wondering why the hell he thought that. "No. Why would you think that?"

The man shrugged, a bit put off by the sudden snappy tone. "Well, when I turned the Stargate on, the Latirans kept on calling me one of their Ancestors. You would not believe how hard it was trying to get them to stop."

But McKay wasn't listening. "You brought the Stargate online?"

Sheppard shrugged. "Only by accident. I mean, the Temple came on when I stepped inside, I found it, and then there was this crystal…"

McKay rolled his eyes. "Let me guess? You touched it." Sheppard shrugged. "Didn't you learn your lesson when you touched the glowing crystal that made… Oh, right. No memory." He gave a quick grin. "Well, here's lesson number one. Don't touch anything."

"So if I'm not one of these Ancients, how'd I do it?" he asked.

"Oh, you have their genetic… never mind, it's too complicated." He waved his hand, and sat back down. "Just rest assured you're not actually an Ancient."

Sheppard was looking at him like there was something wrong. "Are you always like this?"

"Um. Yeah," McKay nodded. "Pretty much. You'll get used to it. Again."

Sheppard nodded slowly. "And what's your name again?"

"Rodney McKay. I'm on your team, with Ronon and Teyla. Ringing any bells?"

The man snapped his fingers. "Rodney, dial the damn gate!"

Well that wasn't what he had been hoping for, but it was a start. Struggling to smile, he nodded. "That would be me. Resident gate dialler. Resident physicist. Resident expert on Ancient technology. I'm the one people usually turn to when something has to be solved by science."

Sheppard looked like he had no clue what he was talking about. Looking around for another seat, and finding none, he sat down on the floor. "I've been having… flashes, I guess you could call it." He licked his lips and went kind of solemn. "Just bursts of memory, mostly in dreams."

"What about?" McKay asked. Sheppard frowned at him.

"That's the problem. I don't know how real they are, or how recent, what order they go in, or anything like that. Reckon you can help?"

McKay shrugged. "I guess. Let's try it anyway."

Sheppard shifted on the floor. "I think the first one I had, I was in a Dart, and I think it was just before my crash."

To his surprise, McKay flinched. "Yeah. The crash. You know we heard it? Of course, that doesn't mean much to you, I guess. You have no idea how much it hurt everyone back in Atlantis. Hell, I heard Sam had tears."

"Sam is my…" He snapped his fingers. "Colonel Samantha Carter."

McKay smiled. "Yeah. Your boss. Well, our boss. At least we know your memory is going to come back."

Sheppard didn't look so sure. "I remember getting a Dart. I had to get off this huge ship, so I wouldn't get captured. Was that just before?"

McKay shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I was unconscious when you crashed."

The other man seemed to hear something in that, and he leaned forward, that familiar, suspicious frown in place. "Why? Why were you unconscious? And why did I need a Dart in the first place? Why was I on that ship?"

McKay licked his lips. "You were rescuing me. Well, me, Teyla and Ronon. The Wraith had taken us a few days before, while we were on duty with some environmentalists on P3X-079. We had been staying at this village, it got attacked. The four of us managed to get away, but you, being all heroic, said we'd get the stolen villagers back."

"I do that a lot, don't I?" he asked, grimacing. It was what had gotten him in here in the first place. He could have gone and hidden with Samuel, but he had just had to fight the Wraith.

Rodney laughed softly. "Every time you can. Only this time, it didn't exactly go to plan. Well, truthfully it almost never does, but this time was even worse. We got the villagers out, and then we decided to blow the Hive ship up. Then you got stuck on the wrong side of a door."

He nodded. "I remember that. I told you to leave me. You and Ronon."

"And Teyla," McKay added, leaning over his knees. "You ordered us to leave, and Ronon, being Ronon, obeyed. Only they were waiting when we got out. Ambushed us, stunned us. Next thing I remember is waking up on the Hive ship, and we were in space. After that it gets a little hazy."

He shuddered, as if at some memory, and Sheppard looked away for a moment. Then he looked back. "Do you know what happened with me? I mean, I think I saw you getting caught. I remember seeing three people unconscious on the ground, and Wraith, with worshippers. Then I snapped a stick, something hit me… the rest I can't remember."

"That thing that hit you would be a bullet," McKay supplied. "Sam filled me in on the rest. The worshippers tried to hunt you down, keep you away from the Stargate." He grinned. "It took you a day, but you finally got through. Though you were exhausted and nearly dead from blood loss."

He frowned. "I think I remember that too."

"You would," Rodney told him, standing up. "Anyway, Sam said as soon as you were conscious again, you got together your best men, and came after us. You managed to rescue us, even in space, but an alarm got tripped as soon as we got near the hidden puddle jumper. You laid down cover fire as the rest of your men dragged us to the jumper. Only when you tried to get in, the route was blocked. You told Lorne to take off, grabbed a Dart, and blew the place to hell as you flew out. Only the controls were jammed, and you… went down."

Sheppard nodded, seeming to come to an understanding. "How did I find you if you were in space?" he asked quietly.

"One of your smarter moves. The enviro's who were with us, they had tracking devices they wanted to use to track any migration of some kind of cow thing on the planet we were on. You had one on you, being you, and you planted it on the Hive ship before it took off. These things were similar to ones used in this… uh, game we used to play, before it turned out to not be such a game. A couple of technicians tweaked them, so we could track the migration on this planet…" He could see Sheppard zoning out. "Never mind."

Nodding, the man stood as well, and began to pace. "So, if you thought I was dead, why are you here?"

"Looking for you, of a sorts," McKay told him with a shrug. "We saw the Stargate come online. It came on during your memorial service actually."

The man gave him a trademark John Sheppard glare, one of those 'so did not need to know that' glares, and Rodney just gave him another shrug. "What, we thought you were dead. Anyway, we assumed it was an Ancient who turned it on, and as you would… or should know, if you didn't have… you know, we would really like to meet an Ancient."

"But you got me instead," Sheppard said, looking away.

McKay stared at him. "Personally? I prefer to have found you." He gave a cough, trying to stop the red seeping up his neck. "Anyway, uh, now that explanations are taken care of… know any way out of here?"

Sheppard's eyebrows rose. "Me? How would I know?"

"Well, you have been here before."

"So?" Sheppard argued back. "I was here for all of ten minutes. I decided to leave before they all started bowing."

"So I take it that's a-."

McKay was cut short by the door opening. They both turned to face the front of the cell, greeting the three Wraith that entered as the life-sucking creatures opened the cell. And the scientist found himself waiting… And waiting.

Turning to Sheppard with a frown, McKay was finally struck with just how truthful the man was being about his memory loss. The man standing beside him was almost nothing like John Sheppard. The John Sheppard he knew would have been cracking jokes, naming the Wraith with mundane Earth names, and just generally trying to ease the nerves in the room by pretending cockiness and surety. Whereas this John Sheppard looked as nervous as McKay felt, not at all like a man desperately trying to think up an escape plan.

Swallowing, McKay couldn't help but return to the screwed way of thinking.

"Come," the lead Wraith ordered, and the two men obeyed, before the leader snapped its attention to Rodney. "Not you. Just him."

Sheppard gave him another look, and continued walking, flinching slightly as the two other Wraith grabbed his arms. The leader continued looking at McKay even as it shut the cell again, the shield going up. Anxious now, the scientist walked forward until he stood at the bars, watching as his friend disappeared around the corner in the company of the Wraith.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

His mind wouldn't shut off, though to be honest if he listened to it, he could ignore the growing fear in his stomach. But of all the places to find someone who actually knew who he was, a prison cell was the strangest.

But he had a name now. A name! And a home, and friends, and people who knew him, who could answer all those things he couldn't remember.

That was, if he lived through this.

He tried to steady his head, concentrating instead on where he was going. What was going on around him. Trying to see any way out of this.

It wasn't looking good. He knew there were plenty of Wraith around, and no doubt more kept on showing up through the Stargate. And soon a Hive ship would appear. It was inevitable.

Which just meant he had to get away before the Hive ship turned up. Yeah, sure, because that was going to be a walk in the park.

He suddenly recognised where they were, and he frowned, wondering what they wanted with him that had something to do with the Stargate. He was still trying to figure it out as the four of them entered the room.

The Gate was off, for now. With the Wraith escorting him, the number in the room reached eight, and with only one of him, those weren't good odds. This really wasn't looking good.

The Wraith holding Sheppard shoved him to a spot just before the device in front of the Stargate, and he barely kept his feet. He turned to look at them, trying to be confident.

The Wraith in charge walked forward until he was only a few feet from Sheppard, a triumphant smile on his face.

"You are the one who turned on the Portal."

Sheppard looked around, but found nothing that could help. He looked back to the Wraith. "Is there a question in there somewhere?"

That smile became more of a glare. "Did you turn on the Portal?"

Probably not much use in lying. "I… guess you could call it that."

The Wraith nodded. "Good. Now. You will show us how."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Recovery**

It took them far longer than they would have like to find the Wraith settlement. But they moved as fast as they were able, trying not to get too frustrated that Samuel was slowing them down.

Sometime later though, they peered out at the tents, unaware that they were spying on the Wraith from the exact same spot as Sheppard had been earlier that day.

The sun had fallen now, which would make it easier for them to sneak an attack. The Wraith had lights about, illuminating their camp, but it didn't spread far beyond the edge of the tents.

Lorne shook his head as he stared at the camp. This wasn't going to be easy. "Any ideas, anyone?"

"We need to draw some away," Ronon told him. "I can't see them all, but there's too many to take in a fight."

"But would they take bait?" Lorne asked. "When they've got stunners. And Darts."

Samuel raised his hand. "You could steal the Darts," he suggested tentatively. But Lorne shook his head at that as well.

"None of us have ever flown a Dart before. The only one in Atlantis who has is Colonel Sheppard."

Ronon suddenly turned to him, a mad glint in his eye that usually precipitated violence. The Satedan didn't disappoint. "We could blow the Darts up."

There was a moment of silence.

"It would certainly distract them," Teyla said, weighing it up. "If we can sneak in, and go for the prisoners at the same time as the Darts explode, we could get away without even having to fire a single bullet."

Lorne nodded, obviously weighing it up himself. "Almost sounds like a plan," he told them. "It could even work. Okay, Ronon and I will go do the Darts. They shouldn't be protected very well, they won't be expecting an attack. When I tell you to move, Teyla, you and Reynolds take half the tents, Farrell, take Sam here and do the other half. Get out any prisoners you can. And then we run for the forest again, use it for cover."

He rubbed his hands together, and nodded at Ronon. "Ready?" he asked. The big guy grinned.

"Let's do it."

* * *

"You're kidding, right?"

Sheppard looked from the leader, to the Wraith surrounding him, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I mean, you're really not serious?"

The leader frowned down at him. "And why would we not be serious? You turned it on. We want you to show us how."

Sheppard frowned. "Well, I can't. I have no clue what I did." Besides the crystal was gone. Not that he was about to mention that, just in case they had it.

The leader took a threatening step forward, glaring now. "How did you turn it on?"

Sheppard shook his head. "I have no clue. It just kind of… came on by itself. I really didn't do much at all."

"Are you an Ancient or not?" it demanded, getting angry now. Which probably wasn't good for him. He licked his lips.

"Uh, according to the guy downstairs… not. Sorry," he added with a shrug. "If it makes you feel any better, I had no clue either."

The Wraith gave a deafening hiss, and he flinched, only just avoiding covering his ears and squatting. Then the creature sprang forwards, grabbing his chin in a crushing grip and forcing him back against the device.

"How did you turn it on if you are not an Ancient?" it demanded loudly, and he glared at it as he tried to stop it from pulverising his jaw.

"I don't know," he spat. "Look, I really have no clue. The whole place just came on when I stepped inside -."

Cutting him off with a tight squeeze of its grip, it used its other hand to rip open his shirt, leaving the bare skin of his chest revealed. Snarling, the Wraith pulled its hand back…

The hand seemed to plunge in slow motion, and, terrified, he found himself waiting, just as McKay had been waiting. He waited, for a shot, a stun, a knife, anything. And like McKay, he waited in vain.

The hand hit his chest, and time sped up once more. The Wraith began sucking the life from him, and he screamed, feeling the years drain from his body with a fiendish, painful glee. Felt his body change, and grow, older and older, faster and faster, until all he could see, smell, hear was pain.

And then, when he thought he could take no more, that his body was surely on the verge of dust, and that this was the end, it changed. The years no longer fled his body, but filled it, and he screamed some more, as he felt the years return, as he felt life rush back into him with a desperation that was uncaring of pace or ability to handle. His body changed back, aching as it was rejuvenated with the life stolen from it not seconds before.

And then the Wraith dropped him, and it was over, and he fell to the ground, shaking, trembling, knowing that the entire experience had been like nothing he had ever endured before – not even… the word Kolya came to mind from nowhere. Not even like that time with Kolya. No, that, what the Wraith had just done to him, was designed purely to break him.

A hand grabbed his shirt and hauled him to his feet. Exhausted, he leaned back against the device, using it to keep him on his feet rather than let the Wraith hold him up. He looked around, and found a new Wraith had entered the room, and it was talking with the leader. He watched the two murmuring quietly, and suddenly felt like he should be a lot more worried than he was.

The leader suddenly snapped its head up to look at him, and Sheppard didn't like what he saw in its cat slit eyes as it walked back towards him.

"There is a human ship approaching," it informed him. "You are going to destroy it for us."

Sheppard massaged his chin where it had held him, then shook his head. "The hell I am."

The Wraith glared at him, then snapped its jaw together, turning and walking out the room. "Bring him!" it ordered. "And someone grab the other one!"

* * *

Ducking behind a tent, somehow managing to have remained unseen even while planting C4 on the Darts, Lorne grinned at Ronon, a grin the bigger man returned. The major clicked his radio.

"Teyla, Farrell, you in position?"

Their answers came quickly. "Ready, major," Teyla answered softly. Obviously there were Wraith nearby.

"Ready sir," Farrell responded just as quietly.

Lorne looked back at Ronon. "Fire in the hole," he said, pressing down on the trigger.

The explosion was huge. It even made Ronon jump, and it lit up the night sky, rocking the very air. Taking the distraction, the two of them jumped up and stormed the Wraith camp.

Five fell before the combination of P-90 and Ronon's own special gun before the Wraith even knew what had hit them. By then it was too late. A few tents were on fire, and on the other side of the camp, both men could see a large group of people running, covered by more gunfire. Teyla, Reynolds and Farrell.

"Ronon!" Lorne shouted, motioning at the retreating group. Firing at any Wraith that presented itself as a target, they made their way after the freed villagers, unable to stop the huge grin that spread over both their faces.

One of their plans had actually gone… well, according to plan.

They ran into the forest, and they knew they were well out of reach of the Wraith stunners. Slowing, Lorne turned to take a quick look at the camp through his binoculars. Wraith were running around madly, trying to put out the fire, even as more explosions rocked the camp, as the fire reached the power generators. Nodding with the accomplishment, he turned back and followed the noise of the villagers.

They had paused a hundred or so feet into the forest, a fair number of them looking shocked beyond relief. They obviously couldn't believe their luck. He passed by Reynolds and Farrell sitting with a relieved looking Wills, and the major gave them a nod before moving on.

Lorne found Teyla and Ronon quickly, who were sitting with William and his family, and another woman, in her late forties. He looked around, but soon realized there was no sign of Sheppard or McKay.

"They weren't in the camp," he realized out loud. Teyla shook her head.

"Apparently the stranger was taken by the Wraith before nightfall. They are not sure where." She shook her head. "And McKay was never there. They must be somewhere else."

"Hive ship?" he asked, more of himself than anyone.

"I do not think so," a sudden presence behind him said, and Lorne jumped, startled. He turned to find a man in a dirty white robe looking at him.

"Leo!" the older woman breathed, dashing from the ground to hug the man. "I am so glad you are alive."

The man smiled as he hugged her back. "And I you, sister," he whispered, pushing her away slightly, and turning to the three rescuers. "The Wraith came through the Portal looking for the one who turned it on. They wanted to know how to do it. I would say they took the pilot to the Temple. I assume that is who you were looking for?" he added, frowning.

Ronon nodded. "It is," he said, standing up from his squat. "At least, it's one of them."

"So he is your friend," William said softly, standing up as well. "I am sorry I did not mention him before."

Ronon growled. "You will be if he's not alive."

"Ronon!" Teyla admonished before turning to William. "It is okay, sir. If this pilot is indeed our friend, it will take a lot more than a Wraith to kill him."

"And he's not going to be with them much longer," Lorne told them, replacing the cartridge in his P-90. He clicked his radio, not wanting to draw attention to their site by shouting. "Farrell, Reynolds, take these people back to their village. We're going up to the Temple."

"Yes sir," Reynolds said back over the radio, and in the distance, they all heard someone getting people back on their feet. Lorne looked at Teyla and Ronon, who both nodded determinedly. They were ready.

* * *

They all heard the explosion from the Temple but it did little more than cause the Wraith to pause. And then they continued dragging Sheppard from the Stargate room to wherever it was they were taking him now.

It didn't end up being much further than where they had stopped to listen to the explosion. The two Wraith holding him shoved him through the door, and he almost fell again, still trying to get over being fed on, and then rejuvenated.

A moment later, he heard… McKay, it was McKay, complaining that they were dragging him too fast, before the scientist was thrown into the room as well. The other man let out a audible sigh of relief as he saw Sheppard.

"Well, I'm glad they didn't kill you," he said, walking over, and looking around. He lowered his voice. "That looks like the one at Atlantis."

Sheppard followed his line of vision and suddenly spotted the chair in the centre of the round room. It looked almost like a throne, made of some kind of strange material. And he wondered why they had brought him here. It was a chair. Wasn't it?

He looked around as the leader entered the room, looking less than his usual happy self. Its gaze swept over the chair, before coming to rest on the two humans. Or rather, on Sheppard.

"Use the chair to destroy the human ship which approaches," it ordered, and Sheppard was sure he had heard wrong. He frowned, though apparently the words meant something to McKay, because the man had gone pale.

"I'm sorry?" Sheppard said, feeling left out. "What?"

The Wraith hissed. "Use the chair to destroy the ship!" it snapped, and Sheppard looked around at the chair behind him. Still frowning, still confused.

"Uh, I don't think I can throw that far," he said, turning back. "You guy's look much stronger," he added brightly. "You should give it a try."

The nearest Wraith lashed out, and before he knew what was happening, Sheppard was on the floor, working his jaw back into place. Seeing stars he got back to his feet shakily, ignoring McKay's worry.

"Look, it's not my fault!" he spat back. "I have no clue what the hell you are talking about."

Another hit, and another chance for the floor to be acquainted with his face. It took him longer to get back up this time, but luckily, McKay had decided to champion his cause.

"Stop!" the scientist yelled as Sheppard shook his head. "He lost his memory! He doesn't remember anything! He can't remember how to use the chair!"

The Wraith went still as Sheppard got back to his feet slowly, glaring at the one that kept hitting him. The leader flicked its eyes between McKay and him.

"Is this true?" it asked softly. Sheppard shrugged.

"Guess so. Cause I really have no clue what any of you are talking about." He looked back at the chair, but still, no memories about anything like it surfaced.

"But you can still work it," the Wraith deduced. "Otherwise you could not have turned on the Stargate. Sit down, and concentrate on firing the chair's weapons at the ship."

Oh, so it was a weapon. Well, why hadn't they just said that? He looked at the Wraith like it was crazy. "I am not shooting down any ship," he told it.

This time he lost consciousness for a moment, and when he resurfaced, the Wraith were hauling him into the chair. He wiped the blood from his jaw, and tried to get up, before the Wraith pushed him back down, hand uncomfortably close to his chest. Glaring at it, he kept his seat, wondering what the hell he was going to do now that two of the Wraith were holding McKay.

"Turn it on," the leader ordered. Sheppard gave it a withering glare.

"How am I supposed to do that?" he demanded. "I don't know how to use this damn thing."

"Concentrate!"

The pilot was close to being sick of this. He glared at the Wraith, defiant, and crossed his arms. "No."

"Do it now," the Wraith ordered once more, but he remained with his arms crossed, shaking his head.

"I'm not blowing up that ship," he told it airily. "I don't care what you do to me. Hit me, feed on me, whatever, I'm not blowing it up."

The Wraith took a menacing step forward, clearly sick of this as well. "Either you do it now," it told him. "Or I feed on your friend over there, and the Hive ship orbiting this planet does it in a few minutes."

Silence. McKay licked his lips, but shook his head, signalling that, under no circumstances, was Sheppard to fire on that ship. At least, that was what he thought it was. It could just as easily have been a signal not to get him killed. But Sheppard didn't think so.

"Well," he said softly, angry. "Why didn't you just say so?"

He uncrossed his arms and laid them on the rests, moving back with the chair as it turned on and all around him, the floor lit up in a brilliant shade of blue.

"Sheppard, don't!" McKay cried, and the pilot could hear him struggling to get free. "John, it's our ship, with people we know!"

He ignored the man, and closed his eyes, relying purely on instinct. And in his mind, he focused on the target, and willed the weapons that the chair controlled to fire on it.

* * *

Oh he wouldn't... would he?


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** So, originally, this was going to be the final chapter... but it's not anymore! Re-reading it, I realized that it left too many things unsolved, which I usually berate the show for, even though they never seem to hear me... So, stress less, cause there's at least two more chapters to go!

* * *

**Chapter 13: Home**

They were almost at the Temple when, instincts astute as usual, Ronon threw out his arm to stop the other two from walking onto the open plateau. Ducking down once more, he got out his gun, made sure it was set to kill, and took aim.

The red light darted across the plateau, and they all heard the sharp grunt as it his something. Something as in a Wraith. A second later, the plateau was lit with the beams of stunners, and the three of them ducked behind trees.

Moving around to fire her weapon, Teyla felt like screaming with the frustration. She hit one, two Wraith before ducking back around, but still the stunners kept coming.

And they were running out of time. McKay's, and possibly Sheppard's, time.

As if right on cue, three drones, exactly like the ones at Atlantis, shoot out from the top of the mountain, heading straight up and up, until they couldn't even see the lights anymore.

And then an explosion ripped across the sky, lighting the world like day. Holding their breath, the three of them watched as more explosions followed, and then, suddenly the darkness was back, hard to get used to after the sudden brightness.

"What the hell was that?" Lorne wondered out loud, and Ronon shook his head.

"Someone's firing drones," the big guy supplied, and then grinned. "And seeing as only our people can use Ancient weapons, that had to be the Hive ship."

Teyla shook her head, eyes dark. "Unless… the villagers said the man who crashed lost his memory. Who knows what he believes now."

The two men digested that suggestion for a moment, before Lorne got to his feet. "We won't find out here. Come on, we're almost there."

And springing to his feet, he let rip with the P-90, hitting the stunned Wraith before they had a chance to recover from the explosion in the sky. He was joined a second later by Teyla and Ronon, and after only a minute, silence reigned on the plateau.

Giving a feral grin, Ronon looked at his comrades. "Come on, let's go find our guys."

* * *

They heard the second explosion in the Temple as well, and as it passed, Sheppard grinned to himself, and opened his eyes, losing touch with the chair and turning it off. He sat up to admire the effects of his handiwork.

The lead Wraith was looking sick. And angry. Really angry. But shocked as well, and that was what he had been going for.

Taking the opportunity – and still moving purely on instinct – he lunged out of the chair, grabbing the stunner from the belt of the nearest Wraith. Firing the weapon as soon as it was out of its holster, he spun, knowing he didn't have to worry about that Wraith, not after stunning it from point blank range.

Aim steady, and true, he fired at one of the Wraith holding McKay, knocking it out, before the leader pounced on him.

Apparently it didn't need a weapon to take down a fully grown man.

Grunting as his back hit the chair platform, the impact made him drop the stunner and sent a spark of pain down his spine, Sheppard grabbed onto the Wraith's wrist to stop it from pressing its mutated hand onto his still bleeding chest. But the damn thing was strong, and he had been in a freaking crash not a week before. The battle was kind of one sided.

Its hand touched his skin, and a thrill of terror surged through him, because this time there was no way it would give him his years back. The thing grinned down at him, its breath hot against his cheek as it prepared to feed.

Two sharp screeches filled the air, and suddenly the Wraith went limp.

Heaving a sigh of relief, and unashamed to do so, Sheppard shoved the unconscious Wraith off of him, leaving it to flop on the ground. He stared up at McKay, who was still holding the stolen stunner, the second guard unconscious beside the other.

"Nice timing, McKay," Sheppard told him, groaning as he got to his feet.

"What the hell just happened?" McKay demanded, knowing what it felt like to the one out of the loop for the first time that day. John grinned at the unconscious Wraith.

"I just blew up the Hive ship orbiting this planet," he told the scientist. "It had no hope. You okay?"

The scientist poked his head out from behind the Wraith. "Are you kidding me? You just gave me a freaking heart attack. I thought you were actually firing-."

"So you're fine then," Sheppard interrupted, rolling his eyes. McKay nodded quickly.

"Yeah, all good. Ready to get out of here."

"Sounds like a plan," John said, picking up the dropped stunner. McKay grabbed the same weapon from the second fallen guard.

They moved to the door, peering out into the corridor, trying to see if there were any more Wraith about. The corridor was empty.

"They're probably in the Gate room," Sheppard said, locking the door before moving out. "Trying to figure out what I did."

"What did you do?" McKay asked, still really wanting to know exactly what his friend had done. But Sheppard snorted.

"McKay, _I'm_ still trying to figure it out. This way."

The turned down another corridor, and then up some stairs, taking it slow, weapons up and aimed. Thinking fast, or at least, fast-ish, he gave Sheppard the second weapon, shrugging when the man frowned at him.

"You're a better shot," he explained, before being shushed. They could hear footsteps.

"I think someone else noticed I blew up the Hive," Sheppard whispered, moving to lean against the wall, waiting for the Wraith to appear, both stunners up.

Sudden gunfire made them both duck, covering their heads. But the bullets weren't close, and they gave each other a look, McKay smiling with relief, suddenly sure the whole ordeal was over. Because gunfire could only mean one thing.

"It's about time they got here. Come on, Sheppard, I'll introduce you to your own friends."

He took point, and suddenly nervous, John followed, keeping the stunners in hand in case the guns hadn't taken out all the Wraith.

Practically bounding up the steps, McKay made it a few seconds before Sheppard, and grinned at his friend as he disappeared around the corner. Heart lurching, Sheppard picked up the pace, following and wondering why the hell was he so nervous about this? He had just faced down four Wraith, taken them out, and destroyed a Hive ship with some weird chair thing. And these people were supposed to be friends.

McKay was waiting for him around the corner, and with an encouraging smile, the scientist led the way back to the Gate room, where the last sounds of gunfire were just dying down.

"About time you guys got here," McKay joked as he walked in, before flinching back as three sets of sights were aimed at him. "Jeez, sorry, touchy. It's just, we were having so much fun taking out the Wraith by ourselves."

And then Sheppard walked in, a little surprised to see the place dark after he had turned everything on, taking a deep breath as two lights shone into his face. And then the lights dropped, and the three of them collectively inhaled.

"Oh my God," one of them muttered. "It was you."

"What?" McKay asked, not having expected them to know he was alive.

The other three ignored him, getting over their shock quickly and all but running forward. Sheppard watched them cautiously, worried that none of them seemed to be ringing any bells. He looked at McKay for conformation, and the others noticed.

"You really did lose your memory, didn't you," the big guy realized, and Sheppard looked at him, recognising the voice from the memory-dreams. He frowned.

"Ronon, right?"

The man's face split in a grin. "So we know who you like most," he teased, and John looked at McKay, who rolled his eyes.

Sheppard looked back, and shrugged. "I just remember telling you to leave. And you did."

The guy's face fell, and Sheppard let him wallow in that for a moment before grinning. "Sorry," he said with a half-chuckle. "I uh, know you didn't want to. But I really don't remember much. Just little pieces here and there."

The woman shook her head. "It does not matter," she said, her voice full of emotion. "All that matters is, you are alive."

"Atlantis is going to be so happy for weeks about this," the other man spoke up, before stepping forward. "But I guess that means nothing to you." He offered his hand. "I'm Major Lorne. Basically your 2IC."

Sheppard took the offer, and shook the hand, smiling, thankful he didn't have to ask. The woman stepped forward as well.

"I am Teyla Emmagan," she greeted, before grabbing his shoulders and bowing her head. Unsure what was happening, he looked at McKay, who bowed his own head, and Sheppard got the picture.

The taller man stepped forward, offering his own hand. "Ronon Dex," he greeted as John took the hand. Instantly the guy he had least expected to get emotional pulled him into a bear hug. "And we are glad you aren't dead."

Suddenly Lorne's radio buzzed. "Major Lorne, are you down there?" a voice asked.

Still grinning, the major answered. "Yes sir, Colonel Caldwell. We're all here."

"Are you in need of any assistance, major? Because if the destruction of this Hive ship is any indication, you've got everything under control."

"No sir, we've got most of it all under control. There's a Wraith camp close by that could probably use a bit of your destruction, but they're probably still trying to put the fires out, and they're not going anywhere. And we've secured the Stargate. In fact, this day just keeps getting better and better. Tell Atlantis we've got a present," Lorne added, grinning at Sheppard.

"If it's anything about Colonel Sheppard, you shouldn't keep them in suspense, major."

All four of them frowned. "Does everyone already know?" McKay demanded, obviously having wanted to surprise everyone. Lorne touched his radio again.

"How'd you know he was alive, sir?"

"I didn't, major. But the uninhabited planet he crashed into just turned out to be not so uninhabited. It was a good guess you'd find out something about him."

"We found out more than something about him. He's standing right here with us, sir." Lorne's grin deepened, and Sheppard was finding it contagious.

"Can I speak with him, major?" Caldwell asked, and the major winced.

"You could sir, but it wouldn't do either of you much good. Colonel Sheppard lost his memory in the crash."

There was silence for a moment. "Okay, major, we'll leave it until later. When can Atlantis expect you back?"

Suddenly anxious, McKay clawed at his radio. "Not any time soon, colonel. I really want a look at this planet wide cloaking device."

Lorne glared at him, but said nothing about it. "Tomorrow morning, sir. We've got a few Wraith here to take care of, and I have to pick up my men from the village."

"I'll let Atlantis know, Major Lorne. Caldwell out."

The radio fell silent, and at the same time the Stargate room went quiet, the four of them looking in relief at Sheppard, who was feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Then Ronon clapped him on the shoulder.

"You know the Air Force told your family you were dead," he told the man as he steered him away. "We even held a memorial service for you."

A little worried about that, Sheppard nodded. "So I heard. I hope you said something nice at least."

Ronon grinned. "McKay made everyone cry."

He looked back at the scientist, who had gone bright red. Smiling deeply, Teyla came up on the other side of him.

"Rodney said some beautiful things. I'm sure we have a recording somewhere."

"Oh right, cause that's just what the man needs, a recording of his own funeral," McKay argued. "Give him some space guys, he has no clue who you are."

Hearing them argue, Sheppard couldn't help but smile, a sense of familiarity creeping over him, even though his memories remained hazy. This, he suddenly realized, was what home felt like.

Finally.

* * *

Aawwww... See, this would have been a great place to leave this story... if I didn't still have unconscious Wraith locked in the basement.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** Hey, sorry about the whole not posting thing last night. I had my first exam yesterday, and basically came home and crashed. I know, poor effort after you guys went and left enough reviews to bring the grand total up to an awesome 100! So, thank you to everyone who has been reviewing!

Not sure how many chapters are left. I'm, um, still writing them, after deciding that the last one was a bad place to stop. Maybe another two or three. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter ready by tomorrow, but it is the middle of exams, and I really should be studying instead of writing fanfiction. My friend told me it was a bad idea to post now...

* * *

**Chapter 14: Taking Charge**

"Tell me exactly what you did."

Sheppard sighed and looked at McKay. "I already told you, I don't know what happened." He wondered if this whole guinea pig thing was just McKay taking advantage of the situation. Since their lives had come off the line, he had become somewhat withdrawn, and Sheppard couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Then again, what did he know.

"I don't need to know what happened," McKay told him, giving him a slight shove in the direction of the DHD. It was just the two of them for the moment with Lorne, Ronon and Teyla going down to take care of the Wraith they had locked in the chair room. "I just need to know what you did."

Sheppard gave a shrug. "I guess I can… I don't know. I walked in, saw this thing. Only there was a crystal looking thing on top, triangular I guess, with the point touching the dome. I touched the top of the crystal, it started glowing, and then some kind of light shot down into this." He gestured at the DHD. "The Stargate started doing things, turned on, and then stopped. I guess it was on after that."

McKay rolled his eyes. "Again with the touching." But there was no malice in his voice and Sheppard knew he was joking around. McKay turned away to tap his radio. "Reynolds, come in."

Sheppard heard the conversation over the borrowed radio Lorne had given him. "Dr McKay, what can I do for you?" the soldier asked from where he was still positioned at the village.

"I need you to ask the priests if they moved the crystal from the top of the DHD."

There was silence for a moment while they guessed Reynolds went to find a priest. A minute later the radio crackled again.

"Leo says they moved it. It should be in one of the storage rooms. He says the one with the white planet."

McKay's eyes lit up. "Excellent," he said, not bothering to say anything further to Reynolds. "I can kill two birds with one stone." He moved to walk out the door.

"McKay."

Lorne's drawn out, slightly annoyed voice came over the radio, and made the two of them pause.

"Here, major," McKay responded with less then his usual enthusiasm. He glanced up at Sheppard as if he knew he was in trouble.

"McKay, I thought you locked the Wraith in this room."

The scientist frowned. "We did," he defended. "I made sure of it. Like I wanted four Wraith coming up behind me."

"Well they're not here anymore," Lorne told him, sighing in exasperation.

"That's hardly my fault!" McKay defended himself. "How was I supposed to know they could pick an Ancient lock?"

Lorne muttered something under his breath that neither of them caught. "Well, no doubt they're heading for the Stargate right now. McKay, do not let those Wraith through."

"Oh great," McKay snapped. "You know major, I'm not exactly the best at defence, and Sheppard isn't exactly his usual commando self…" He paused but there was no reply. "Lorne? Lorne?"

But the major seemed to be ignoring him, and Sheppard found himself wishing the younger man had listened. He frowned at McKay.

"What does he think I can do?" he demanded. McKay gave a sigh, and then shook his head.

"Exactly what you can do," he explained as they moved towards the door. "Just because your memory's gone, doesn't mean your skills have. I'm guessing they're in there somewhere."

"You're guessing?" Sheppard repeated, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement, though he didn't really know that he was doing it. "You know, strangely enough, that isn't very comforting."

"Hey, you want comfort, go speak to Teyla." McKay gave a snort. "I am the least comforting person around. Don't worry, you'll remember that in time."

Sheppard looked at him sideways and sighed. "I've been around people I supposedly know for nearly half an hour now, and I'm still drawing a huge blank on most details. I'm not sure I'll ever get my whole memory back."

McKay rolled his eyes. "Well, you won't if you keep up that attitude. Be positive. Once we get back to Atlantis-."

Movement caught his eyes, and Sheppard jumped, before turning the shock smoothly into action in the blink of an eye.

"McKay, look out!" he cried, interrupting the scientist and shoving him to the side. He took the barrelling Wraith in the chest, instead of McKay, and the two of them crashed to the ground, the Wraith pinning him down with sheer weight.

One hand was still trapped under the scaly body, and it was just his luck that it was the hand that had held the gun Lorne had given him. With the weapon trapped, pinned against his stomach, he couldn't bring the barrel around to shoot the thing as it grabbed his free hand. It was far stronger than him, and once again he could only watch as it's hand descended to feed on him.

The rapid fire of McKay's P-90 made the Wraith jerk as it was hit with several bullets. Dying quickly, or as quickly as was possible for a Wraith, it dropped forward, making Sheppard grunt as he took all the weight.

At least now he could shift out from underneath it. Taking a huge breath with his newfound ability to squeeze air into his lungs, he sat up and looked at McKay, who still had his weapon aimed at the dead Wraith.

"Nice timing again," Sheppard told him with a thankful nod. "But can you stop cutting it so close?"

The comment seemed to make it through McKay's haze, and he rolled his eyes again. "Sorry. Next time you shove me to the ground I'll try to stand up faster." He tapped his radio. "Major Lorne, you have one less Wraith to worry about."

The major replied quickly. "I was hoping that was a Wraith that died. We saw it on the life signs detector, and tried to warn you, but it was too late. Nearly gave me a heart attack, McKay."

"Aw, major you do care."

Again the reply came quickly. "Well, I'm betting Colonel Caldwell has already informed Atlantis of Colonel Sheppard's miraculous rise from the dead. I'd hate to disappoint them in that regard." There was a pause. "Have you taken any others out that I should know about?"

McKay didn't answer, but offered Sheppard a hand to stand, which the colonel gladly took. He was feeling bruised after the collision. "Thanks."

McKay nodded. "You're welcome. In return, could you not teach your officers so well. They get annoying when you die and give them command."

"How about I just try not to die," he responded, though he could tell McKay didn't mean it. He smiled brightly. "Maybe next time you could take the Wraith tackle for me."

They positioned themselves at the door again, both of them keeping eyes open this time. McKay still managed to scowl at him. "Well, maybe if you didn't try to stop me every time. You know that's how you got yourself into this mess in the first place."

Sheppard frowned, looking across at him. McKay didn't sound so joking anymore. "What are you talking about?"

"Back in that grounded Hive ship on 079. When you told us to leave." He sounded a little angry now. "You never think about yourself. You ordered us off that ship even knowing it would probably mean you got captured or killed."

"This is what's been bothering you, hasn't it?" McKay didn't say a word, just turned away slightly, refusing to meet his friend's eyes. The soldier sighed. "But it didn't," Sheppard pointed out. "That's what you told me. I got free, and you were the ones who got caught."

Rodney's scowl deepened, and he blushed, either in anger or embarrassment, Sheppard wasn't sure. "Only because I was arguing with Ronon that we had to go back to get you. Which meant we were both distracted, which meant we didn't see the ambush until it was too late."

"Wait a minute," Sheppard ordered, pulling on McKay's arm to turn him around. "Are you really trying to blame me for you getting captured?" Somehow that surprised the hell out of him, even when he had no conscious clue about anything when it came to McKay and his thought processes.

McKay sighed, losing his anger. "No, that's not what I mean. If we had stayed, we probably still would have been caught. And I should have been following orders, like Ronon was, and that way we probably would have seen those Wraith worshippers. But you're an idiot."

Sheppard's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"You're an idiot," McKay repeated, shaking his head. "You and your selfless hero act. You take these stupid risks that are sure to get you killed. Like stealing a Dart, or flying a nuclear weapon into a Hive ship, or attaching a 302 to a ship so you can go into hyperspace with it. Or-."

Sheppard stopped him there. "Okay, I get the picture," he told him, frowning. Then he looked McKay right in the eye. "Did I really do all that?"

"Yes," the scientist told him, exasperated. "Yes, you really did all that, and more, and all because you don't seem to care if you die as long as everyone else lives."

The pilot paused, watching the man who was obviously his friend. Then he frowned. "Am I meant to be getting the point to this?" he asked.

McKay groaned and began walking back to the DHD. "I should have known better. Just forget I said anything."

Confused now, Sheppard ran to catch up with him, forcing him to stop again. "No. You can't just say that. What are you getting at McKay?"

He sighed. "Do you know how much it hurt everyone when we thought you were dead? You probably don't have a clue. But considering _Sam_ was crying, and if you remembered more than her rank, you would get it. After we heard you were dead, I didn't see anyone even smile until a few days later. You have no idea what you mean to this expedition. _Especially_ after everything you've done to save it in the past."

There was silence in the corridor for a moment. Sheppard struggled to understand while not remembering any of it. Then he looked up at McKay. "Come on," he said quietly. "We should be guarding the door."

McKay threw his hands up but began walking. "I knew there was no point in saying anything."

Sheppard shook his head. "If I really am this guy you think I am… and going on past actions that I can actually remember, I'm guessing there's at least a partial truth to it… I'm not going to stop doing these dangerous things just because you all think I might die."

McKay didn't answer for a moment. Then, "No. I guess you wouldn't," he answered quietly. There was another pause. "See, you really are an idiot."

The pilot gave a laugh. "I guess so. And I'm guessing that if I ever tell anyone you said all that…"

"I will make your life a living hell," McKay told him promptly, not even looking at him. "But someone had to try and talk some sense into you."

Sheppard shrugged. "If I've saved the day as much as you say I have, it sounds like sense is the last thing I need."

The radio crackled, preventing McKay from answering. Lorne's worried voice came over their earpieces. "Colonel Sheppard, McKay, you there?"

There was a pause, during which Sheppard belatedly realized McKay was expecting him to answer. With a half-shrug, McKay tapped his radio.

"Here Major. What's the problem?"

"Colonel Caldwell just got in touch. Apparently Atlantis is excited about Colonel Sheppard."

McKay shared a look with the source of the excitement, frowning. "That doesn't sound so bad, Major."

"He also said the Daedalus had destroyed the Wraith camp on the outskirts of the forest," Lorne added, and Sheppard had the distinct feeling he was working up to something. McKay seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"Okay… What's the bad news, Lorne? And don't lie, cause that's the same tone Sheppard gets when there's bad news." McKay ignored the colonel's glare.

"Um. There's two Wraith Hive ships on their way here. They must have been attracted by all the recent focus on this supposedly uninhabited planet."

McKay swore. "See, now I'm just depressed, major. Couldn't you have started with that and worked up to the good news?"

They could both hear Lorne's frustration as he replied. "Take a breath, McKay. That's why I called you. We need a plan."

"How about leaving," McKay muttered before he could help himself, earning a hard glare from Sheppard.

"Don't even think about it, major," Sheppard said into his radio, his voice just as hard as his stare. He didn't notice, but traces of the old Sheppard came through. "We're not leaving these people alone to face the Wraith."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," Lorne answered. "But the Daedalus can't take on two Hive ships by itself. We need you in the chair room right away."

Sheppard suddenly felt like something was wrong. Going still, causing Rodney to glance at him with worry, he shifted slightly where he stood. Biting his lip, sure about this, he clicked his radio. "I hear you, major. We'll be there in five."

He clicked the radio again, basically turning it off, and turned to McKay. "Is there any way to disable the gate?"

McKay frowned at him. "Of course there is. Do you know how many times… oh right, sorry." He looked around though, and didn't move. "Uh, care explaining why?"

Sheppard shook his head. "Something doesn't feel right. I think Lorne's in trouble." He looked down at his radio. "How do I contact Colonel Caldwell? Without letting anyone else hear it."

McKay leaned over and fiddled with his radio, still obviously out of the loop. "Why do you think Lorne's in trouble?" he asked as he leaned back, getting worried. Because usually Sheppard's spidey-sense was right about these kinds of things.

"Because he asked us to leave the gate. He didn't say anything about disabling it, or anything like that." He frowned, clutching at the wispy memories. "And I just have this feeling Lorne is better than that. Now, disable that gate."

He clicked his radio for a third time before McKay could say anything else, hoping this would work. Looking slightly annoyed at the dismissal, McKay bent down to work on the DHD. "Colonel Caldwell, are you there?"

A second later the man's relieved voice came over the radio. "Colonel Sheppard, once again we'd written you off. How are you feeling?"

"Been better," he admitted. "Colonel, have you spoken with Lorne in the last ten minutes?"

That relief turning into worry. "I spoke with him not five minutes ago. Why, isn't he answering?"

Sheppard shook his head even though Caldwell couldn't see them. "No, he's there. I just don't think he's alone. Did you tell him two Hive ships were on the way?"

There was a pause. "No, I did not. I only told him we had destroyed the camp."

McKay sat up straight, hitting his head on the DHD. "How did you do that if the planet's cloaked from sensors?" he demanded.

"Give us some credit, McKay. We could still find what was left of their Darts. We latched onto that energy and blew up everything close to it."

Sheppard frowned, thinking that seemed a bit excessive, but he didn't mention anything. "So I was right," he muttered, more to himself than anything. "Those Wraith mustn't have gone very far from the room."

"Is there anything I can do, Sheppard?"

Caldwell's voice made him jump – he had almost forgotten he was still talking to the man. "No thank you Colonel," he replied. "I think I can handle it."

As he switched off his radio McKay's head bumped up against the DHD again. Rubbing the sore spot, he turned to stare, mouth open, at Sheppard. "You think you can what?"

* * *

All rightey then. Now I'll go work on the next chapter! See, this is why I usually write it all beforehand...


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Okay, so sorry (once again) for not posting last night. For starters, I didn't have this chapter finished, I only finished it about twenty minutes ago, so if it's a little rough, I really do apologise. And secondly, I forgot I had to work last night, so even if it had been finished, you probably wouldn't have got an update anyways...

Good news is this is probably most definitely the second last chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 15: About Time**

"I _can_ handle this, McKay."

He looked around, thinking quickly. McKay seemed to notice. "Oh right. You can handle this and you don't even have a clue what you're about to do." Sheppard ignored him and moved to the dead Wraith, flipping it over. McKay just watched. "I think that crash did more than just wipe your memory. Didn't you hear anything I just said?"

Sheppard looked up at him as he grabbed the Wraith's stunner. "Do I ever hear something you say?" he asked. "Look, we need to do something." He could do this, he could! Why didn't anyone believe him? He had gotten everyone into this mess, and he was damned sure he was going to get everyone out.

McKay threw up his hands in defeat. "So what exactly did you plan on doing?" he demanded.

"You mean we."

There was a moment's silence. "Well of course, we. I'm not about to let you go on some kind of suicide mission by yourself. If I don't get you back to Atlantis in one piece Sam would just be first in line to kill me." He gave a deep sigh. "So what are we going to do?"

Sheppard nodded, standing up straight. "Is the gate disabled?"

McKay held up a small crystal. "Done and done." He put it in a vest pocket. "You know this is usually the part where you tell me what you have planned."

Still thinking, Sheppard frowned. "It is?"

Another pause. "Well, no, but could you? I get sick of playing catch up."

Sheppard seemed to toss that up. Then he shrugged, grinning. The man was actually grinning. "It's not hard. There are what, three of them?"

Baulking suddenly, McKay shook his head. "Somehow I doubt that. I think Ronon could take out three Wraith by himself. I've always thought Teyla nearly could too. And Lorne's not exactly helpless, what with his big gun. And why the hell are you grinning?"

The smile wiped from his face instantly, and he looked slightly abashed. "What? I'm not grinning. Am I?" The smirk ghosted back. "I am, aren't I?"

"You're deranged," McKay decided faintly. "Completely and utterly lost it. You'd think danger wouldn't need memory to be noticed."

The man shrugged, tucking the stunner into his pants. "I can't help it. This feels… good. Or right, I guess. Like it's what I'm meant to be doing. Now come on. No, wait, hang on."

He paused suddenly, and McKay nearly ran into him. Sheppard ignored the grumbles and clicked his radio. "Wills, you there?"

It took a moment for someone to respond. And then it wasn't exactly what he hoped for. "Colonel Sheppard, is that really you?"

Sheppard shrugged for McKay's benefit. "That's what they tell me," he answered. "But you can make sure when you get up here. I need you and the other two at the Temple, asap." The other two who's names he couldn't remember. To be fair though, no one had told him, and he hadn't seen them.

The affirmation came quickly. "Yes sir. We were on our way anyway, once we saw the explosion in the sky. We'll be there inside twenty minutes."

Sheppard grinned wider. "Awesome. See you in twenty." He dropped the radio and looked at McKay, who was shaking his head, obviously disconcerted by something. "What?"

"Awesome?" the scientist said. "You know, this might come as a shock, but that's not exactly correct military terminology."

Sheppard gave a snort. "Like I could remember otherwise. Besides. It was awesome." And he flashed another grin, before dashing for the door.

McKay found himself following at a rather more sedate pace. "You won't be so excited when we've got twenty Wraith coming after us," he muttered.

"What?" Sheppard demanded, making McKay jump as the scientist came out the door.

"Do you have to? My God, you're like a kid in a candy store. Come on, are we going after these Wraith or not?"

They snuck quietly down the corridor, Sheppard in the lead, 9mm tucked safely in his hands. McKay, an ever ominous feeling growing in his gut, followed, licking his lips and holding on tightly to his P-90. He shook his head as they back-traced their earlier movements.

"So, what did you have planned?" he asked Sheppard as they reached the stairs. The soldier, some of his training either coming back to him or coming naturally, paused before taking a quick look around the corner.

He shrugged as he looked. "I thought killing them might be a good start," he snapped. "How many could there seriously be?"

McKay grabbed onto his shirt before he could move off again, pulling him back before they went any further. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked. "Because whatever I said before, you usually are more cautious than this."

"I can't afford to be cautious!" Sheppard snapped, getting angry. "If those Wraith get word out to any of the others, then this world will be destroyed for hiding for so long. And it will be my fault! I want them dead, before they can hurt anyone else!"

"Yeah, but there's two of us, and who knows how many of them. It's like you've forgotten everything about tactics!" McKay told him, feeling desperate now. Whatever Sheppard was saying, the scientist seriously doubted he could handle this.

"I told Lorne five minutes," Sheppard reminded him. "And if we're not there by then, they'll probably kill them!"

McKay shook his head. "So you couldn't wait for Caldwell to beam down a couple of marines?"

Some of the anger faded to confusion. "Excuse me?"

McKay's stomach sank. "Oh, you forgot about the beaming technology. Didn't you?" At the non-response he groaned. "No wonder you said no to any help, you didn't think it would arrive in time. I knew we should have sent you back to Atlantis as soon as we realized you were alive."

Some of that confusion faded back into anger. "If you've told me right, I'm the ranking military officer. I'm not about to let you just ship me back. I can do this, McKay." But for the first time it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

McKay shook his head. "No. At the moment, Lorne's the ranking officer, because you're still compromised. You can't remember anything! You're just lucky that guy respects you enough to respect your wishes!"

He gave a sigh, and fiddled around with his vest, pulling out two canisters. "Here. We can use these. Flash-bangs. They're enough to stun anyone caught by surprise by them, but won't kill our people." That he knew from first-hand experience. "And if we use stunners, in the likely event we do hit one of our own people, we won't even injure them."

Sheppard scowled as he nodded at the canisters. "The stunner thing I knew, thanks McKay." He held up the 9mm. "This was for any between now and then. Now come on. That five minutes is getting away from us."

He turned around again, and once more peeked around the corner, though now he was a lot more cautious about it. Refraining from sighing again, McKay decided that at least that was something.

Guns up, they descended the stairs, moving slowly, silently, eyes peeled for any movement. No Wraith seemed to be about, and the sudden, eerie silence of the Temple was making McKay's hairs stand on end.

The bottom of the stairs came too quickly for his liking as well, and then they were at the corner. Sheppard paused at the end, peeking around the edge, eyes scanning the shadows, waiting for an attack that wasn't coming. Yet. McKay tightened his grip on his stunner, touching the more lethal P-90 for comfort, just making sure it was still there.

"Right," Sheppard suddenly whispered. "Now do we take the second left or the third? I forget." He looked back at McKay, his face totally straight.

The scientist knew he was joking though, and he shook his head in disapproval. "Can you keep your mind on the job?" he demanded in a harsh whisper. "In case you hadn't realized, there's an ambush waiting around the corner!"

Sheppard scowled, looking a little chastised. "I know that!" And he turned back and moved silently around the corner. McKay followed a second later.

This hall was just as silent and empty, and McKay's bad feeling was getting worse. The two of them kept close to the wall, all but pressing their backs into it and sliding along. They passed the first left without incident and slowed as they came to the second, pausing before it altogether.

Sharing a look with McKay, Sheppard ducked and slowly looked around the corner. He moved back a second later, and when he did, he wasn't happy. Judging by the total loss of levity in the man's eyes, the full gravity of the situation was finally hitting home, and it was hitting hard. McKay felt his stomach drop so far it disappeared.

"It's not good, is it?" he asked, so quiet that Sheppard had to read his lips. Or maybe it was the despair in his eyes. Either way, the colonel shook his head.

"That's a lot of Wraith," he muttered, taking another quick look around. "You wouldn't happen to have a few more of those bang-flash things, would you?"

The scientist rolled his eyes. "Flash-bangs. And no. When I came through the gate today I hardly expected I would have to fight a war. In fact, you know what I was looking forward to? A nice, long chat with an Ancient."

Sheppard ignored him, deep in thought. "Well, there's not much we can do about that," he decided. "Here's what we do. We get their attention, they start coming this way, we roll out one… flash-bang." He nodded, looking up at Rodney now. "We start shooting, high, so we don't hopefully we don't get our people at all, and they can get free."

He paused, making sure no one else could hear him. "There's too many for us to hold back, so they should start moving forward."

McKay's jaw dropped. "Just how many Wraith are going to kill us?" he asked, nearly hissing, and looking suitably sorry when Sheppard shushed him.

"There's a few, but we only have to hold them off until the other three get here. Hopefully Lorne, Teyla and Ronon can get free and lend a hand." He made sure McKay realized it was only a temporary position holding. "Now, when they start coming up the hall again, we'll roll out the second flash-bang, switch to real guns with real bullets. And the rest, as… I actually remember someone saying, is history."

McKay nodded slowly, thinking that plan over. Then his face went a little dark. "Yeah, hopefully not our history," he muttered before shaking his head. "Okay. How do we get their attention?"

Sheppard actually had the nerve to grin once more. "I'll be over there." He gestured towards down the hall. "Ready?"

Before McKay even had a chance to confirm or deny his state of readiness, Sheppard was moving out, grabbing a flash-bang from one of the scientist's pockets. Moving deftly like only Sheppard could, he dived for the other side of the entrance to the corridor, stunner blasts missing his feet by millimetres.

Getting ready, McKay moved towards the gap in the wall, and shifted on his feet. Sheppard got back to his, and with all the grace of a professional, grabbed the pin and threw it down the corridor.

The bang was loud, but this time at least, McKay was ready. As the sheer light died down, he moved around the corner, already pulling on the trigger of the stolen stunner. He didn't stop, either, seeing targets, and pulling as soon as he set his sights on them, trying not to think about hitting his own team mates.

Across the gap, Sheppard's mouth was set in a thin line of determination, as he aimed easily and confidently, every stunner blast hitting something. But they both soon began realizing that maybe stunners weren't going to be enough, even for the moment. Because Sheppard hadn't been lying when he had said there were a lot of Wraith.

There were too many for McKay to count while shooting at them with a slightly ineffective weapon, and that was all that mattered.

Growling in frustration, Sheppard realized that maybe he couldn't really handle this, as right as it seemed. He had begun thinking that maybe McKay had been right, and his memory loss was compromising him – he had been counting on too many factors that weren't happening. For example, the speed of Wills and his fellow men, and the possibility that the Wraith hadn't just killed Lorne, Teyla and Ronon as soon as they had delivered the message to Sheppard and McKay…

"McKay, the next one!" he shouted over the stunner blasts, jerking back as enemy fire hit a little too close. McKay jumped back too, dropping his stunner to pull the second flash-bang from his pocket, yanking the pin and throwing it down the hall.

Silence reigned for a slight moment, and then the heavy sounds of 9mm fire filled the Temple. Hands fumbling slightly in the rush to help, McKay picked up his P-90, stood, and moved around the corner enough to have an open line of fire.

He pulled the trigger, and the deafening sounds of machine fire drowned out even Sheppard's handgun.

The pilot watched his friend firing only slightly aimlessly and knew, without memory or sight of them, that the rest of his team wouldn't be in that line of fire. He had to believe that, otherwise he didn't think he could have kept on pulling his own trigger.

Then again, he was beginning to think it wouldn't matter anyway, because while the manmade guns were more effective, it didn't seem to be slowing down the tide of Wraith headed their way.

And then his gun clicked on empty, and he could only stare at it in horror. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? He looked across at McKay, who had realized that that he was defending their position single-handedly.

Pausing only for a second, McKay reached for his own 9mm, and tossed it across. But that single second was enough. As Sheppard reached around to start shooting again, the first Wraith rounded the corner.

Standing, and cursing his lack of memory, Sheppard aimed at its head and pulled the trigger, not sure whether to feel relieved or sickened when Wraith brains splattered into his face. He wiped at it, feeling the nausea rising, but had no time to make good on his stomach's promise to begin the upheaval. Because three more Wraith had appeared, and their position was broken.

Which wasn't to say they were about to give up. Sheppard kept his back to the wall, moving down the corridor away from the gap, shooting at any Wraith who got close enough. But he had been lucky with that first, he knew, and as soon as he had taken down one more, another two came at him, weapons raised. He shot madly, sticking three bullets into one before the other pulled his trigger.

Hoping he wasn't about to run headlong into a wall and do the Wraith's dirty work for it, he lunged to the side, breathing a huge sigh of relief as he disappeared around the third left turn. The Wraith soon followed, but it gave the colonel enough time to gather himself, raising his weapon from where he lay on his back on the floor, and pulling the trigger.

Another three bullets and dead Wraith later, he got to his feet, wondering how long before McKay's 9mm ran out of ammo and left him without a weapon. Trying to delay that for as long as possible, he grabbed the dead Wraith's stunner and peered around the corner.

He jumped as he found a Wraith mask inches from his face as he looked around, and was still getting over the shock as it lifted its arm, stunner included, to aim point blank at his head.

A flash of red caught his eye, and then the Wraith jerked. Sheppard heaved a sigh of relief and looked up, Ronon's big figure easy to distinguish as he lowered his aim and looked around for another kill. Sheppard would have to thank him later, probably about the same time as he asked if he had ever asked the man for a weapon like that.

But there was no time for thinking about that now. His team mates seemed to have joined the fight, the noise of another two P-90s filling the corridor, but the battle was far from over. Though, Sheppard had to admit, he was a lot more hopeful of victory now.

The Wraith seemed to be flooding the passageway back to the Stargate, a clump of mutated bodies that blocked his friends from sight. He lifted the 9mm to shoot once again, but quickly dropped his arm when he realized it was too likely that he would hit one of his friends. Instead, he brought up the stunner and took aim once more.

A single Wraith came from nowhere, knocking his arm aside as he pulled the trigger. They both stumbled into the opposite wall, Sheppard aided by a slight shove that sent his body crashing, considering a slight shove from a Wraith was like getting hit by a… Damn his memory!

Whatever it was like, Sheppard crashed into the wall, knocking his head hard enough for him to lose control over his limbs. The impact left him dazed and all too helpless as he sprawled to the floor. He fought the fog, fought to regain his bearings as quickly as possible, still fighting as he rolled to the side just quick enough to avoid the smelly Wraith foot that came inches from damaging his head a little more.

Trying to clear the sparks in his head, he kicked out, shoving the Wraith's legs out from underneath its body. It fell with a loud crack, and, sight slightly doubled, he took aim with the gun. Even with double vision, the two foot gap between the barrel of the 9mm and the Wraith's body was too short a distance for him to miss. Especially when he pulled the trigger another three times after that, the bullets smashing into the Wraith with almost enough force to slice clean through.

He would have pulled the trigger a few more times, just for good luck, except the gun clicked on empty, depriving him once more of an effective weapon. He tossed it aside, wondering what had happened to the stunner he had salvaged, because he had to get up and get back in the fight. Despite the nausea, and the double vision, and the growing head ache, and the overwhelming urge to fall asleep…

"John?"

He looked up at the insistent voice, and immediately recognised Teyla kneeling beside him, her eyes a mixture of worry and relief. All four of them.

And then he realized that there were no more sounds of gunfire, that the Temple seemed blissfully silent. He looked around, spotting Ronon, and McKay, and Lorne standing close by, watching him. And behind them, what he figured to be a half dozen men in uniform, once he took into account his messed up sight. He frowned.

"Where did they come from?" he asked, looking back at Teyla. She glanced at the soldiers, who, seeing he was at least alive, turned and started nudging Wraith bodies, searching for any that were alive.

"Colonel Caldwell was kind enough to beam them down." She smiled gently. "Without them I believe we would all be dead. But it is over now. You can relax."

Sheppard did as he was told, leaning back against the wall, wincing as he realized his head was bleeding. But he nodded, not deigning to mention the fact that he had refused any help from Caldwell. Because Teyla was right, and McKay would probably remind him of that later anyway. Besides, it was over now, and it didn't matter. Finally he could concentrate on getting better.

"Well, it's about time."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** And so we come to the last chapter... What a sad moment! Well, for me it is. I just wanted to say the biggest thank you imaginable to every single person who reviewed In Memorium. The feedback and support is so incredibly awesome, it's hard to put into actual words! This final chapter is dedicated to you all!

If you're interested (and it will be up here if you aren't) there are plenty more SGA fanfics coming from me, but they'll be a while, cause I've really got to get into the study now... So, after exams, I will be back on the writing, and more SGA babies will be popping out of my computer!

Until then, thanks for reading this story, and I'll see you again!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Back to Atlantis**

Once again the Temple of the Ancestors was lit brightly, though the lights had dimmed for no reason any scientific mind dared to fathom. Just like McKay could find no logical reason for why they had come back on when the bodies of the Wraith had been dragged away to be burned. The Stargate sat still at the end of the room, while in the middle, by the DHD, the team from Atlantis rested quietly, trying to enjoy the peace.

Reynolds seemed to be having the hardest time appreciating the Temple's hard won freedom and rejuvenation, as he tried to check out a restless Colonel Sheppard without insulting or restraining his superior officer.

"Sir, the Wraith threw you into a wall," the young soldier tried again, fiddling around with the makeshift bandage at Sheppard's hairline while the older man shifted under his hands.

For his part, Sheppard tried again to wave away the eager field medic. "Reynolds, it's just a bump," he defended, ignoring the stifled laughter of the others around him. Or in Ronon's case, not so stifled.

Reynolds gave a weighty sigh. "Sir, you were bleeding. You even said so yourself. That's not normally a good sign."

"And a week ago, I lost a whole bucket load of blood," the colonel informed him. "It'll come back."

The soldier decided to give it up, shaking his head as he stood up straight and backed away. "You need to get back to Atlantis and get it checked out," he warned, and Sheppard had the feeling his own soldier was about to rat him out. He gave Reynolds a hard stare.

"When we get back, I will. Like Colonel Carter would have it any other way," he reminded the kid as he got his feet underneath him. He stood, trying not let anyone realize when he had to shove away the dizziness. "But I'm not leaving until I speak to the Latirans again."

Lorne suddenly walked back to them, taking his hand away from his radio as he rejoined the group. Giving Reynolds a knowing grin at the kid's half-hidden scowl, he nodded at Sheppard.

"They'll be here in a minute. Wills said they're eager to talk to you as well." He glanced down at where McKay was putting the crystal back into the DHD. "McKay, will we be able to dial out in half an hour?"

A snort came from underneath the DHD, and the scientist backed out, getting to his feet with a small wince. He looked over at Lorne. "Of course we will be. It's ready now. Just say the word and I will dial out."

"As the resident gate dialler," Sheppard interrupted, ignoring McKay's hard stare. He rubbed his hands together, suddenly feeling nervous. Which was strange, considering the danger was behind him. "So anything I need to know before I get back? You know, so I don't insult anyone." He put a hand up before McKay could open his mouth. "And McKay, I will know if you're lying to get back at me."

The scientist clicked his mouth shut and glared, turning back to the DHD. "I was going to say you'll be fine," he snapped. "But obviously you don't care about my opinion."

Sheppard was stopped from answering by the sounds of footsteps, and a second later, Wills appeared in the doorway, followed by a small group of the Latirans. Swallowing what he had been about to say, he stepped forward, suddenly sad about leaving. These people had saved his life, after all.

Leo led them in, Laura by his side. Behind them came William and his two sons, and the young priest, Nathan. Sheppard's team backed away to give them room, understanding their commander's need for closure.

Sheppard, on the other hand, suddenly found he had no clue what to say. He opened and closed his mouth twice, unsure how to proceed, and then gave a helpless shrug. "Thank you," he decided on. "You saved my life. Without you all, there is no chance I would be alive."

He looked down, a little ashamed. "Of course, if you hadn't, the Wraith wouldn't have shown up," he told them. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It is not your fault," Laura told him. Leo nodded in agreement.

"You had no knowledge that your presence would turn the devices of the Ancestors on," the priest reminded him. "You had no intention to bring them here." He gave an understanding smile and gestured at the team behind Sheppard. "Besides, if you had not turned the Portal on, you would have been stuck here. And you would not have been happy."

"I'm still sorry," he told them. He looked back at Rodney, quickly, then back. "If you like, we can come back, disable the gate. You won't ever be bothered by Wraith through it again."

Leo shared a look with his sister, and then with William as the elderly man stepped up, speaking for the first time. "I believe we will keep it on," the village leader told him. "How else will you come and visit us?"

Sheppard grinned, relieved to hear them say that. While they had been right, he knew, that he would not have been happy to remain on Latira, he had great respect for these people. "I will definitely come back. I'm told we can even work out some kind of agreement." He gave a shrug. "I'm not sure what, but I think it means some kind of alliance. And I know McKay wants a nice, long look at the thing cloaking this planet from life sensors."

Leo nodded at the scientist. "We will be happy to have him." He glanced at the others. "Now. I think your team is anxious to return you to your people."

Sheppard looked back at where McKay, Ronon, Teyla and Lorne stood waiting by the DHD, and he gave a nod, those nerves coming back. "They're not the only ones," he muttered, turning back and offering his hand. Leo took it in a strong grip.

"Thank you," the colonel repeated with as much sincerity as he could muster. He shook hands with William, nodded at the three young men behind them, and finally, gave Laura a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you so much."

He turned back to his team, and nodded at McKay before he could help himself. The scientist turned immediately and began dialling. The Stargate lit up, and with each new lock, the bundle of anxiety in Sheppard's gut tightened. He was going home. Actually going home. He had just helped defeat an entire army of Wraith, and now he was scared out of his mind about going home.

The Stargate connected, and the team moved towards the shimmering blue event horizon. Sheppard, preparing himself, turned back only once to wave goodbye to the Latirans, before he stepped through and took the short journey home.

* * *

He stepped out of the Stargate, the wild ride unlike anything he could remember, of course. But he soon forgot about it, taking in the dimmed hall of Atlantis. And seeing it for the first time in memory…

It took his breath away.

He didn't know how he had reacted the first time he had seen it, but he guessed by the nonplussed expressions of his colleagues that that first time had been a long time ago. Still, as he looked up, and around, taking in the architecture, and the colours of the night only slightly pushed back by the lights above, and the curved balcony to his right…

"How could I have forgotten this?" he asked of no one as he slowly walked forward, spinning slightly. This was beautiful. Amazing. And he actually got to live here? No wonder the small cabin homes of the Latirans had seemed old and non-descript.

Teyla was suddenly standing by his side, her smile understanding. "It is amazing, is it not?"

Sheppard nodded, looking across at her. "This city is… I don't think amazing covers it."

She gave a soft chuckle, and ducked her head. "Yes, Atlantis is wondrous. But I was talking about them." And she gestured to the front of them, and for the first time Sheppard noticed the stairs.

Or rather, the huge group of people crowded on them.

His stomach flipped as he realized they were all staring at him, relief stark on every single face. As he noticed them, a few broke out in grins, and three people – two women and a man – walked forward, guided by Lorne.

The woman in the middle stepped quickly to reach him first, coming to a pause just a few feet in front of him. Sheppard watched her, _knowing_ her, but unable to place her. And then he remembered – she had been in one of his flashbacks, the woman who had greeted him as he had come out of the gate.

Lorne joined them, hands behind his back. He had lost his P-90 somewhere, and he looked relaxed for the first time since Sheppard had met him. Or at least, met him again.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Colonel Carter, the commander of Atlantis," the major told him. Sheppard nodded in understanding.

"I do remember you," he told her, and she gave a grin. "Sort of. I mean… it's all still pretty… fuzzy." He gave a frown. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, colonel," she informed him gently. "We're just all glad you're alive. When Colonel Caldwell told us you were, we could hardly believe it."

Sheppard nodded, finding his lack of memory suddenly hard to deal with in the face of all this – his home, his friends, every single person staring at him as if their wishes had come true.

"What's everyone doing?" he asked, nodding at the stairs. At the people still waiting there, watching him.

The man stepped forward, and once more, Sheppard felt a twinge of familiarity. "They're here to wait for you, colonel," the man answered with an accent and a grin. He held out his hand. "Dr Zelenka."

Sheppard shook his hand, but couldn't help but have his gaze drawn back to the crowd. "But it's the middle of the night," he told them all, looking back at Carter. She nodded, giving a small laugh.

"I don't think a Wraith attack could have stopped them from wanting to wait for your return, colonel," she told him. "It was a hard day for us all when we thought you were dead. They all wanted to see you alive for themselves."

He wanted nothing more than to ask why, but found his tongue rooted to the top of his mouth. Instead he shook his head, feeling overwhelmed, and looked back at Atlantis' commander. She nodded in understanding and finally gestured at the second woman who had been waiting patiently but who was starting to twitch.

"This is Dr Keller," Carter told him. "And she's been waiting to check you over for the last three hours."

He grinned at them both, and it was a trademark John Sheppard grin. "Well, lets not keep you waiting any longer then," he said to Keller, and she walked forward, hands immediately going to the makeshift bandage Reynolds had put on his head.

"If that's your only sign of the crash, then you are one lucky man, colonel," she informed him. Sheppard winced, but didn't pull away.

"Actually, that was from the Wraith attack," he told her, ducking his head so she could more easily reach the injury. Carter frowned and looked at Lorne.

"You were attacked by Wraith?" she demanded, wondering why Caldwell hadn't informed her. But Sheppard spoke up before Lorne could answer.

"Actually, I attacked the Wraith," he told them. "Well, me and McKay. They had Lorne, Teyla and Ronon, and I didn't really want them dead…" He trailed off at Carter's look, and shrugged. "I know, McKay's already told me. It was a dumb move."

Carter didn't respond to that, just turned to Lorne. "Okay. Debriefing at 0800, major," she told him, before turning back to Sheppard. "And I believe you're meant to be in the infirmary."

* * *

He really wished his lost memories would come back, just so he could find his way around this labyrinthine city.

Sheppard looked around, the hallways softly illuminated by the touch of dawn, and tried to pull something to the surface. He didn't even necessarily need directions. Just some hint of where he actually was would be helpful. Then, when he actually got the courage to call someone on his radio and tell them he was lost, he could tell them exactly where he was…

Sighing, he took the next left, and suddenly recognized everything. Making a small noise of surprise, he paused for a second, then grinned. This was a start. Now, was it the next right, or the second left?

"I would have thought Keller made a nurse take you to your quarters."

McKay's voice took him by surprise and he jumped, turning to find the scientist holding onto a datapad, looking shocked that he had taken made Sheppard jump. "Sorry," the other man said. "I didn't realize I was so stealthy. Huh, things you never realize."

"Uh, sure," Sheppard told him. "And for your information, Keller did make a nurse show me to my quarters. And when she left, I… decided to go for a walk."

Understanding flooded McKay's face. "So if I contact Keller now…"

Sheppard winced. "Please don't. She told me… something about a concussion and resting. But I really needed to speak to you."

"To me?" McKay asked, shifting the datapad. "Well, why didn't you just say so. Step into my office." And he brushed past, leading the way into a nearby door. Sheppard actually recognised the lab as well, and grinned again as he felt his memories beginning to return quicker. Well, Keller had surmised as much.

McKay took a seat at his work table, and Sheppard moved to stand opposite, once again, unsure how to proceed. As soon as he realized that, the scientist ditched his computer and leaned forward. "Just spit it out, Sheppard."

"I'm sorry."

It was McKay's turn to be taken by surprise. Eyes going wide, he leaned back and fiddled with something on his datapad. "For what?" he asked, sounding actually confused.

"Back at the Temple," Sheppard reminded him. "You were right. I should have waited for more men. I should have asked you for advice. In fact, I probably should have just come back here as soon as you found me."

McKay shrugged. "Look, it doesn't matter anyway -," he began, before Sheppard cut him off.

"Yeah, because we were lucky. Lucky Ronon and Teyla and Lorne weren't dead. Lucky the Wraith were actually taken by surprise. Lucky Colonel Caldwell ignored me and sent down a few marines anyway." Sheppard gave a chuckle. "We would have been dead without them. It was a good thing Caldwell decided to ignore me."

"Yeah, why did he do that?" McKay asked, curious. "Not that it isn't like him, or anything."

"Apparently he decided I had forgotten about the… transportation capabilities of the Daedalus. Or something along those lines. Anyway, he decided to beam them down just in case my memories were well and truly lacking."

"No, not like him at all," McKay muttered, before shaking his head. "Look, whatever you think, you have no need to apologise."

"Yes, I do. You tried to tell me to be careful. And I didn't listen." He shrugged. "Hopefully when all my memories come back, I'll remember to do just that."

McKay gave a snort. "Not likely," he told the soldier. "Look, I know why you wanted get down there. You felt like it was all your fault. I know the feeling. Trust me, I know. But it wasn't. I didn't have to go along with it. But I did. Because I trust you. Now trust me. Get over it. Forget about it. Don't think about it. Do whatever you need to do to get past it. At this base we take stupid risks on a daily basis. Doesn't mean we shouldn't take them." He gave a shrug. "And when you get your memories back, you'll realize that."

He cleared his throat, and sat back, looking slightly embarrassed. "One other thing you should know," he said. "Me and these stupid little motivational speeches? It does not leave this room. Ever."

Knowing the topic was well and truly over, Sheppard grinned. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed." He got up and moved towards door. McKay watched him.

"Sure you can find your way back?" he asked as the colonel paused at the door.

Sheppard looked back at him, thought about it for a minute, and nodded. "To my quarters, yeah. But I don't want to go there just yet."

He looked at his watch, and as if on cue, McKay's stomach rumbled, as he realized it was breakfast time. Sheppard grinned.

"Why do I get the feeling you can show me to the mess hall?"


End file.
